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Home  >  Law In Travel  >  Airline Relief Bill Blocked On House Floor
Law In Travel

Airline Relief Bill Blocked On House Floor

Matthew Klint Posted onOctober 3, 2020October 3, 2020 17 Comments

Republicans in the House of Representatives have blocked a stand-alone bill that would have granted immediate relief to airlines by extending payroll support for six additional months.

Stand-Alone Bill To Extend Airline Relief Blocked By House Republicans

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) took to the House floor in disgust Friday afternoon after failing to pass a stand-alone bill to extend airline payroll support and prevent furloughs. DeFazio requested unanimous consent to pass the bill, a parliamentary maneuver in which an item moves forward (here, a bill passes) if no members present object. Republicans objected. From his lectern on the House floor, DeFazio angrily stated:

“The Republican minority killed this legislation, plain and simple. If they had just agreed, tens of thousands of workers for the airlines — flight attendants, they don’t get paid a heck of a lot of money, pilots, yeah they do well, mechanics, gate agents — tens of thousands of those people have been furloughed as of yesterday.

“They’ve lost their jobs, they’ve lost their health care, some of them are going to lose their homes. They don’t know how they’re going to make ends meet, feed their kids or do anything else, all because the Republicans in the House of Representatives would not agree and the Republicans in the Senate will not agree to a larger package, which contains these provisions. These are vital provisions, they’re time sensitive…

“I’m tired of bureaucracy around here. It’s time to do real things for the American people and this is real, these peoples’ lives are at stake.”

Meanwhile, Republicans accused DeFazio of grandstanding and said that while they supported an extension of payroll support for airlines, they did not support the “incompetent and sloppy process” advocated by DeFazio and other House Democrats.

Meanwhile, airline furloughs will continue despite a plea from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to airlines to be patient.

CONCLUSION

While Live and Let’s Fly supports airline workers, with a fundamental revolution in travel now taking place that may permanently alter route maps and travel demand, providing more subsidies to airlines while the entire economy is struggling at least merits more discussion. I’ve seen no indication that recovery is right around the corner. Quite the contrary, even a vaccine will not necessarily restore travel to 2019 levels. Translation: I sadly don’t think there will be a need for the number of pilots, flight attendants, and airline workers currently employed for years to come. While I hope I am wrong, I suspect I am right…

Your thoughts on the current stalemate in Congress over extending airline relief?


image: U.S. House of Representatives – AOC (not that AOC, but the Architect of the Capitol)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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17 Comments

  1. Paul Bee Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 1:55 am

    Relief package would pay airlines $300,000 to 500,000 dollars per employee. That money is NOT going all to workers. Do the math; this is not rational. It would be better put into UI benefits as downsized airlines will not need as many personnel for the foreseeable future.

  2. Howard Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 2:01 am

    This is on the hands of all Americans who bought into the hysteria and stopped flying.

    Our government is bankrupt. It can’t keep bailing out our collective bad decisions.

    At some point, we have to be adults and act like them.

    • Matt Reply
      October 3, 2020 at 10:31 am

      Hahaha what?? These airlines are multi-billion dollar operations that have been making money hand over fist for YEARS while simultaneously doing everything they can to nickel and dime customers and making the flying experience (in coach, granted) worse and worse. Did they save any of their profit to see them through a future crisis? Nope. They deserve this and hopefully emerge from bankruptcy with a safer way of managing their finances.

      I too am sick of corporate welfare and also think our government can’t afford these bailouts (nor should they pay them even if they could), but to blame the public for not putting themselves at risk during a serious pandemic is absurd. The whole reason we’re living in this constant nightmare where our country is half-open/half-closed is because of whiny babies like you who can’t bear to inconvenience themselves and do the hard, necessary thing and just STAY HOME until we beat this thing.

      This is on the hands of the people who run the airlines so hot by using profits to do huge stock buy backs instead of saving some for a crisis/rainy day. Common wisdom says everyone should have six months of emergency funds, but these airlines are broke after just a few weeks of their businesses being closed? Give me a break.

  3. Roger Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 3:29 am

    Not one dime more, let them sell assets

  4. Mike Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 4:40 am

    Look, the drop in flying wasn’t their fault. Whether they can work is not, they should all receive full salaries with benefits, period, for as long as necessary. It’s the American thing to do.

  5. Michael Crouse Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 5:26 am

    There has been mass consolidation in many other parts of the travel & hospitality industry with no specific bailout provided to them. Airlines need to face the reality there will be no speedy recovery and realize that cuts are necessary and a targeted bailout is money that money that can be spent more wisely

    • The bullet Reply
      October 4, 2020 at 5:18 am

      I’m glad they didn’t pass this bill. I’m one of the many furloughed guys from United. I blame the teamsters for not listening to many workers who were willing to give up some hours to not be furloughed.

  6. emercycrite Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 6:31 am

    Good. Stop with all the bailouts.

  7. Tom Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 6:57 am

    While I feel for the employees that suffer I think accepting the harsh reality that another massive bailout makes no sense. As many have mentioned, there is no end in sight. Airlines are kicking the can down the road and the tax payer will be forced again to support them with more massive bailouts. Enough is enough honestly. Like so many other industries suffering they will have to navigate this themselves and if it means selling off assets or simply closing their doors then so be it — that’s business.

  8. Pete Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 9:44 am

    I hope the same people here who are standing high on their soapbox (I include myself) condemning more bailouts…will think twice the next time we complain that the soup course has been eliminated from the business class menu or that our welcome champagne drink has been downgraded.

    • Larry B Reply
      October 3, 2020 at 10:21 am

      Pete,
      It’s funny you mention that: “will think twice the next time we complain that the soup course has been eliminated from the business class menu or that our welcome champagne drink has been downgraded” as if you were to visit FlyerTalk (at least the Delta page), you’d find whining ad nauseam about the reduction in content, etc in First/Delta One. Given that COVID-19 has been a thing for the past 7-8 months, and only Howard is flying regularly, everyone else should realize what the content of their spend in BE, Main, Comfort+/Prem Econ or First would entail. And to those still crying a river about Delta, First seems to be full of passengers willing to shell out for what Ed Bastian & Co are providing (full meaning meeting the 50% rule Delta has self-imposed). Not sure why all the argumentative hand wringing. If it’s not valuable to you, don’t buy. ‘Twas ever thus…

  9. Three3 Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 9:51 am

    Business travel isn’t coming back. Most of the airlines’ major customers are pledging to be carbon neutral by 2030.

  10. jcil Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 10:50 am

    Republicans are the minority in the House, and can block nothing. Perhaps delay, but not block. Pelosi runs the show, and can pass anything she desires.

    • Matthew Klint Reply
      October 3, 2020 at 11:41 am

      Ultimately, they cannot block, but they can on a unanimous consent motion.

  11. JoEllen Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 12:22 pm

    Enough is too much already.

    “They’ve lost their jobs, they’ve lost their health care, some of them are going to lose their homes. They don’t know how they’re going to make ends meet, feed their kids or do anything else, all because the Republicans in the House of Representatives would not agree and the Republicans in the Senate will not agree to a larger package, which contains these provisions. These are vital provisions, they’re time sensitive…

    Is this guy serious? He could fill in just about any type of company (hotels, trains, restaurant chains, hospitality and tourist companies and more)…. that this will apply to. Does he know that senior people at United, American, Delta (ie, groundstaff) makes upwards of $25/$30+ an hour ??? I know FA’s who were making $80,00 to $100,000 a year and they weren’t working a 40-hour week. The ones at the bottom ( hired last/ furloughed first ) knew that fact on the day they were hired. That’s the way it works and they should not be given special attention or more $ Billions !!! by virtue of the fact that they happen to work for an airline. Trim it down (a lot) and then build it back up again – like every other business in this country. Maybe the government should better use those billions to pay landlords, and mortgage companies (directly) for the rents they are unable to collect from millions of people. Yeah, those millions that need a roof over their heads, water and electricity to survive – certainly not to airlines who STILL will not be filling seats with fare-paying passengers. So stop giving money to companies who right now don’t need 40-60% of their staff to be paid by the government to do nothing as they stand around looking at one another – Go stand on the unemployment line like everyone else.

  12. Markhu Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 1:51 pm

    ….and for how long can/should be prop up the airlines? 6 month, 1-2-3 years till the airline industry comes back??

  13. Gene Reply
    October 3, 2020 at 5:13 pm

    @ Matthew — This is great news. Airlines should go borrow money, and they should make the tough choices regarding their workforce like any other for-profit business.

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