Esther D. Peterson, email: [email protected]

A recent congressional clash preventing the passage of a new stopgap Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill has led to significant repercussions, with the FAA issuing stop-work orders on approximately 80 airport engineering and construction contracts across the country. These contracts, amounting to over $790 million, have been affected due to the failure to pass a new authorization bill before the expiration of the previous one on July 22.

The impasse has also resulted in the freezing of an additional $2.5 billion in infrastructure funds, as the FAA has suspended the awarding of new grants from its Airport Improvement Program (AIP). Additionally, around 4,000 out of the agency’s 47,000 workers have been furloughed.

The halt in AIP grants is causing more significant challenges for smaller airports compared to larger hubs, which possess greater capacity to secure funding through the bond market for capital projects.

Furthermore, the FAA’s authority to collect the passenger ticket tax, which contributes to the Airport and Airway Trust Fund, has been suspended. While FAA Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt indicates that the agency can rely on the trust fund’s balance temporarily, he notes the cessation of deposits is costing the FAA $30 million per day.

Jane Calderwood, Vice President for Government and Political Affairs at Airports Council International, North America, highlights the concerns raised by airport directors, with one expressing worry about the negative impact on the trust fund if the situation persists, questioning whether the FAA will have sufficient funds for future projects.

The lack of agreement on a long-term FAA authorization between the House and Senate, ongoing for over three years since the expiration of the last multiyear aviation statute on September 30, 2007, has resulted in a series of 20 short-term extensions. However, the 21st extension triggered a partisan dispute between House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).

Mica’s extension proposal through September 16 included provisions to trim the Essential Air Service (EAS) program, which subsidizes flights to rural airports. Passed by the House on July 20, Mica’s bill sought to cap EAS subsidies at $1,000 per flight, potentially removing three airports from the EAS list. Rockefeller, a staunch EAS supporter, advocated for a clean stopgap and attributed the standoff to the House, while Mica placed blame on the Senate, citing financial concerns and the need to cut excessive subsidies.

United States — A massive winter storm wreaked havoc across the United States on Wednesday, causing widespread flight cancellations and severe traffic disruptions. FlightAware, a flight tracking service, recorded nearly 6,000 cancellations on Tuesday, with more expected on Wednesday. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport experienced a two-hour shutdown due to ice, impacting air travel operations. American Airlines faced challenges in Dallas, where high winds made it unsafe for de-icing employees to work.

Chicago O’Hare reported delays exceeding two hours, with United Airlines planning around 300 cancellations in anticipation of increasing snowfall in the afternoon. The storm, affecting a significant portion of the U.S. population, brought blizzard conditions from the southern Plains to the upper Midwest, paralyzing transportation and threatening record snowfall.

The National Weather Service issued storm alerts in over 30 states and blizzard warnings for eight, including Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Wisconsin. Moderate to heavy snowfalls, ranging from 8 to 15 inches, were forecasted for the central and northern Midwest, with some areas expecting up to 20 inches. Chicago anticipated accumulations of up to 2 feet, while the U.S. Northeast faced the possibility of 12-18 inches of snow in Boston by Wednesday.

After the snowfall subsides, affected regions are expected to experience freezing temperatures until the weekend, accompanied by dangerous wind chills. While Wall Street operated normally on Tuesday, officials made preparations for potential disruptions on Wednesday due to hazardous icing.

The federal government in Washington granted unscheduled leave or telecommuting options for workers on Tuesday due to treacherous travel conditions. The storm prompted the Federal Emergency Management Association to deploy personnel and position essential supplies in eleven states, from Oklahoma to Rhode Island.

Agricultural operations in Plains states, particularly in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri, faced significant threats to winter wheat crops, cattle herds, and grain deliveries. Meat processor Cargill announced production reductions at Midwest pork plants, while Chicago soybean futures rose over 1% due to increased feed demand.

The storm’s impact extended beyond transportation and agriculture, causing states of emergency in Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, and Oklahoma. While the storm is not expected to significantly affect first-quarter U.S. economic growth, it poses additional challenges for state and local governments already grappling with budget constraints after a series of storms in January depleted snow removal budgets.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is gearing up to assume the responsibility of checking passengers’ names against terrorist watch lists, shifting away from the airlines. Travelers are advised to start booking airline tickets using their full name as per their driver’s license or passport.

Later this summer, the TSA will also mandate airlines to collect passengers’ birth date and gender during the ticketing process to enhance the accuracy of the watch list matching process. This information will then be transferred to the TSA.

However, the intricacies of names pose a challenge for many reservation systems, which are not currently equipped to handle them. Airlines reassure passengers not to worry if there is no provision for middle names or birth dates during ticket purchase.

“I think the most important thing for passengers to know is that when their airline is ready to ask for that information, they’ll ask for it,” emphasized Tim Wagner, a spokesman for American Airlines, echoing advice from other carriers.

The TSA has set a target date of August 15 for airlines to begin collecting each passenger’s full name, gender, and date of birth under the Secure Flight program. The implementation will occur in phases as airlines update their systems.

Paul Leyh, the director for Secure Flight at the TSA, emphasized aligning information if discrepancies exist, stating, “If your name is Jonathan Smith and you travel as John Smith and your license says Johnny Smith — get all those things aligned.”

The objective is to streamline the process of checking travelers’ names against watch lists and collect more detailed information to reduce mistaken detentions. Asking for birth dates, for example, aims to minimize false matches, such as with children who have similar names on the watch list.

As part of the Secure Flight program, travelers experiencing name-related issues can obtain a “redress number” for identity clearance. This number, along with other passenger information, will be sent to the TSA for watch list checks, determining clearance, additional searches, or flight restrictions.

“Secure Flight is going to allow us to clear over 99 percent of passengers,” said Mr. Leyh.

For cleared travelers, the TSA retains information for seven days. For potential matches, data is kept for seven years, and for confirmed matches, it is stored for 99 years. Privacy concerns and data storage issues had initially delayed the transfer of name-matching duties from airlines to the government.

While objections regarding the scope of information collected have been addressed, concerns persist about the quality of watch list data. Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, supports efforts to enhance accuracy but highlights the lack of transparency and redress for those on the list.

The upcoming change may cause frustrations for individuals with varying names who must standardize their information across documents. Names with hyphens, foreign characters, spaces, or just initials, as well as individuals with two middle names, are among the concerns raised by travelers.

“Nicknames are going to be one of the bigger issues,” acknowledges Paul Flanigan, a spokesman for Southwest, which plans to start collecting Secure Flight data in October.

Many airlines currently do not provide a space for middle names when booking online. Still, the current message is clear: if airlines don’t ask for it, passengers don’t need to provide it.

“We’re telling customers, do business with us as you’ve always done,” assured Kent Landers, a Delta spokesman. “When the systems are ready to accept the data, we’ll advise passengers.”