Airlines for America asks FAA to discuss July 4 holiday staffing

Airlines for America, a trade group representing major airlines, asked a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to request a meeting with the Federal Aviation Administration to discuss staffing of air traffic controllers for the July 4th holiday and summer travel season.

Airlines for America CEO Nicholas Calio said that the US air carriers have implemented several initiatives to improve operational reliability, including dropping 15% of scheduled flights for June through August, accelerating hiring and training for flight crew and customer service agents, and giving passengers more flexibility to change their travel plans.

Calio argues that not every air traffic variable is within the control of the airline industry and that the airline industry is actively and nimbly doing everything possible to create a positive customer experience. One of our A 4 A member carriers estimates that air traffic control ATC related issues were a factor in at least one-third of recent cancellations, he noted. The Federal Aviation Administration FAA has a tendency to institute Ground Delay Programs GDP or other traffic management initiatives that slow the ATC system for many hours because of the weather. We have also observed that FAA ATC staffing challenges have resulted in traffic restrictions under blue sky conditions. A 4 A asked the FAA to share its air traffic controller staffing plan for the July 4th holiday weekend. The letter calls for reducing airspace closures due to commercial space launches, establishing a real-time scheduling and management tool for special activity airspace and developing a policy regarding unscheduled operations, and establishing a real-time scheduling and management tool for special activity airspace that is used by the Department of Defense in order to ensure adequate staffing is available at key FAA facilities such as the Jacksonville Center in Florida, which was understaffed for 27 of the last 30 days, and developing a policy regarding unscheduled

Calio said that our nation's air traffic controllers have done exemplary work during the epidemic in managing traffic safely and efficiently. We want to make sure that they have all the resources and tools needed to be successful. An FAA spokesman told FOX Business that the agency has acted on issues raised in the letter by adding alternate routes, placing more controllers in high-demand areas and increasing data sharing. The agency said there would be no space launches during the Fourth of July holiday.

When you buy an airline ticket, people expect that they will get where they need to go safely, efficiently, reliably and affordably. After receiving $54 billion in pandemic relief to help save the airlines from mass layoffs and bankruptcy, the American people deserve to have their expectations met, a spokeswoman said. Airlines are aware of these measures, as their representatives sit next to FAA staff at our Command Center and participate in calls with our personnel every other hour. The FAA said it appreciated the airlines' initial steps and that it looks forward to continuing down a collaborative path to ensure that airlines and the whole aviation system are able to meet passengers' expectations. Over the July 4th holiday weekend, AAA predicts that 47.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home, up 3.7% compared to 2021 and just shy of 2019 levels. A record 42 million people are expected to travel by car, compared to 3.55 million people traveling by air, and 2.42 million people traveling by bus, train or cruise, despite soaring gas prices.