Source: USA Today
Author: Bart Jansen

WASHINGTON — The travel industry is bracing for significant disruptions starting March 1, if automatic federal spending cuts reduce staffing of air-traffic controllers and checkpoint security officers as scheduled.

"This truly could become a nightmare for travel," Geoff Freeman, chief operating officer of the U.S. Travel Association, says of anticipated flight delays, longer security lines before flights and customs lines after arriving from abroad.

He says the threatened cuts appear likely because Congress is out of session this week and the deadline fast approaching for $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. A compromise remains elusive as congressional Republicans criticize President Obama for proposing to avert the automatic cuts by mixing spending cuts with closing tax loopholes.

"This is an enormous concern to those of us in the travel industry and should be a concern across the country," Freeman says.

Scott Lilly, a long-time congressional appropriations staffer who now is a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress think tank, says this situation is different from the government shutdown in 1995.

Because the cuts hit all agencies, Lilly says, the Federal Aviation Administration will be hit even though air-traffic control is so important to people's ability to travel. Air-traffic control was spared during the 1995 shutdown.

"I think all hell's going to break loose when people find out how badly their lives have been screwed up, and Congress is going to put their tails between their legs and fix it," Lilly says.

He voiced frustration with the lack of information about what will be cut, such as which airports or which flights might be affected by fewer air-traffic controllers. He is scheduled to fly to Turkey in May, but is reluctant if the cuts aren't fixed by then because of the prospect of long customs lines coming back.

"The wait times are going to be horrific," Lilly said. "I can't stand getting into (Washington) Dulles at 4 in the afternoon after a 10-hour flight and then have to wait in the normal lines they have."

Jean Medina, spokeswoman for the trade group for U.S. airlines, Airlines for America, says travelers deserve responsible action from Congress and the Obama administration.

If the cuts aren't averted, Medina says, "Congress and the president must find a way to amend the indiscriminate nature of the cuts so they don't impact our air transportation system, which is a major driver of the economy."

Travel advocates contend that the industry is key to economic growth because businesses rely on air traffic. But business travelers also seek the most flexible tickets and will be the first to postpone flights if the cuts snarl airports at the same time as the spring vacation schedule heats up.

"It has a negative cascading effect on the nation's economy," says Henry Harteveldt, a travel-industry analyst with Hudson Crossing. "It's really not acceptable to play a game of chicken like this with the American public."

Airport delays are a popular weapon in the political debate because of the expectation that travelers will be upset. Obama warned in a speech Tuesday that "air traffic controllers and airport security will see cutbacks, which means more delays at airports across the country."

All the cuts haven't been detailed. But in letters last week to the Senate Appropriations Committee, cabinet secretaries warned about furloughing air-traffic controllers and checkpoint security officers.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the "vast majority" of the Federal Aviation Administration's 47,000 workers would be furloughed one day from every two-week pay period through September, with a maximum of two days per every two weeks.

"The result will be felt across the country, as the volume of travel must be decreased," LaHood said.

The Transportation Security Administration would also face unspecified furloughs that will "substantially increase passenger wait times at airport security checkpoints," according to Janet Napolitano, secretary of Homeland Security.

Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee estimated that TSA would furlough its workforce seven days, which would add an hour to checkpoint lines.

Customs and Border Protection officers would be furloughed 12 to 14 days each, meaning three-hour waits at the busiest airports, according to committee Democrats.

"It just hangs a sign up that the U.S. is not a place you should visit," says Harteveldt, the industry analyst.

Given the importance of air-traffic control, Harteveldt questioned whether the agencies could reduce spending in management and support roles, to minimize the delays in flights and security checkpoints.

But Harteveldt and Freeman each say that lawmakers can expect to hear from travelers if the cuts take effect.

"It's not until they see the impact that we expect wiser minds to prevail," Freeman says.