Airport delay? Thank Schumer, says Cruz amidst airspace redesign holdup.

Sen. Ted Cruz Blames Sen. Chuck Schumer for Travel Woes

According to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), travelers facing delays and stranded at airports during this busy season can point their fingers at Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). Cruz claims that Schumer and his delegation successfully lobbied against proposed changes to redesign the airspace in the busiest corridor of the country.

Proposed Changes and Opposition

The proposed changes would have involved relocating about 30 New York-based employees to Philadelphia for two years to train controllers. Advocates believed that this move could alleviate congestion and improve air traffic control in the Northeast. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) expressed concerns about the staffing levels at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), which manages the airspace around three major airports in the New York City area.

In March, the FAA published a notice stating that TRACON was operating at only 54% of its ideal staffing target, while the national average for air traffic control staffing is around 81%. The staffing changes were intended to lessen the workload on TRACON. Despite these concerns, the FAA rescinded the order to transfer the air traffic controllers in May after protests from Long Island workers and pressure from the New York congressional delegation.

Sen. Cruz’s Criticism

Sen. Cruz criticized the opposition to the proposed changes, stating that local politics and special interests have hindered efforts to improve efficiency in the airspace. He argued that redesigning the airspace with more efficient routes or consolidating controllers at a newer facility near Philadelphia would have been sensible and modest changes. Cruz emphasized that the prioritization of parochial interests over the efficiency of America’s national airspace ultimately hurts New Yorkers the most.

Response and Impact

Sen. Schumer’s office and the FAA did not respond to requests for comment. However, the FAA acknowledged in the spring that understaffing at the TRACON facility responsible for coordinating traffic near the New York area’s major airports could cause delays during the summer. The turbulent weeks of travel and flight cancellations further highlighted the staffing issues.

The Department of Transportation’s inspector general also reported that the agency had taken limited steps to address shortages, and the air traffic controllers union warned of insufficient staffing. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on airlines to reduce flight schedules on the East Coast during the summer months due to low staffing levels at the New York TRACON facility.

Despite the ongoing disputes and challenges, the FAA currently plans to pause the transfer of responsibility for the Newark radar sector from New York to Philadelphia facilities in September.

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