Thu, Apr 25, 2013
Questions Across-The-Board Cuts At Aviation "Choke Points"
Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights.org, has called on DOT Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta to explain to the public why it did not designate FAA air traffic controllers (ATC) as essential federal employees, making them exempt from the sequestration. He further asks why it has not followed the principle of "graceful degradation" instead of across-the-board cuts at choke points like Chicago and New York City, which could cause massive nationwide flight delays.
As to what airline passengers can do in this unprecedented situation, Hudson says passengers should:
- Check the FAA web site at www.fly.faa.gov for real time delay information by airport as well as their airline before they travel
- Report any delays over 2 hours, especially tarmac confinements to the FlyersRights hotline 1-877-FLYERS6 (877-359-3776)
Hudson said such reports should include the airport name, airline, flight number and time of delay and reason given and circumstances and/or by email to paul@flyersrights.org. This will enable FlyersRIghts.org to build a database to advocate for a restoration of normal air traffic control services.
"Contacting your Congressional representatives and the White House as well as the DOT airline consumer complaint hotline should not be under estimated in importance," said Hudson. "Only if Congress and the White House feel public pressure will finger pointing and band aid solutions give way to sensible budget solutions for the federal government, which includes funding of air traffic control services that are clearly essential for air travelers and the functioning of the US economy.
"While employees are being furloughed across the federal government, the aviation system is unusually visible," said Hudson, "The federal government does not supply direct services to the American public in most areas," he said. "This is one that they do." He said that members of Congress were "playing chicken" over the budget, but that they amounted to "a direct shot to the throat of the economy as well as to air travelers directly."
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]