U.S. airlines to participate in Senate oversight hearing
Send a link to a friend
[December 04, 2021]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. airlines will
take part in a Senate oversight hearing this month on the industry, an
aviation trade group said on Friday, with lawmakers expected to quiz
executives about how carriers used pandemic-related federal aid,
staffing issues and other matters.
The Senate Commerce Committee has invited the chief executives of seven
major U.S. airlines to testify at the planned Dec. 15 hearing.
Airlines for America (A4A), an industry trade group, said in a statement
that "the U.S. airlines look forward to participating" but did not
specify whether the CEOs would testify, as requested by Democratic
Senator Maria Cantwell, the committee's chair.
Cantwell has invited the CEOs of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines,
Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Alaska Airlines
and Spirit Airlines to appear, Reuters reported this week.
A4A said the carriers look forward to continuing to work with Cantwell
and Senator Roger Wicker, the committee's top Republican, "on the issues
facing the U.S. airline industry."
"I would encourage them to show up," Cantwell told Reuters on Wednesday
of the CEOs. "I think it is bad faith not to show up. ... The public
deserves to know some answers."
Cantwell added that "we're going to do our oversight role because this
was a lot of money." Many of those CEOs are expected to be in Washington
on the day of the hearing to take part in an A4A meeting, officials
said.
U.S. airlines and carriers around the world were hard hit by reduced
business and tourist travel during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting in
March 2020, Congress approved three rounds of taxpayer bailouts totaling
$54 billion to cover much of U.S. airline payroll costs through Sept. 30
of this year as a result of the pandemic.
Lawmakers want to know if voluntary employee buyouts offered by
airlines, despite receiving payroll assistance, caused operational
problems at some carriers that have resulted in the cancellation of
hundreds of flights in recent months.
The leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation
Committee separately have asked A4A to answer questions about the
government payroll aid that the carriers received.
[to top of second column]
|
American Airlines planes taxi on the tarmac as the skyline of New
York City is seen in the background from the JFK International
Airport in New York, U.S., November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo
Munoz/File Photo
Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, the
committee's chairman, and the panel's top Republican, Representative
Sam Graves, asked A4A to answer questions about staffing reductions
despite the taxpayer assistance.
DeFazio and Graves in a letter made public late on Thursday noted
that questions have been raised about disruptions at two major U.S.
carriers in recent months and asked whether that is the result of "a
shortage of workers in key operational areas" despite the aid from
Congress.
"We expect airlines to take whatever measures are available to
ameliorate any short-staffing issues and begin to address
longer-term workforce shortages," the two congressmen wrote.
Southwest Airlines and American Airlines in recent months have had
high-profile issues resulting in the cancellation of hundreds of
flights.
A4A said COVID-19 cut air travel demand by as much as 96% during the
early stages of the pandemic last year.
"The industry was in survival mode, and the (assistance program) was
critical to ensuring U.S. airline employees remained on the job,
ready to go and able to continue providing essential services," the
group said.
It added that "the operational disruptions that some carriers have
experienced are wholly unrelated to the federal support."
Airlines that received government assistance were not allowed to
issue involuntary layoffs or cut worker pay. They also had to limit
executive compensation and halt share buybacks and dividend
payments.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Marguerita Choy)
[© 2021 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2021 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|