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Some have to wait at Buffalo Niagara International Airport during weather delays. And with the federal budget cuts impacting the TSA and FAA workers, long waits could become the norm until lawmakers reach a budget deal.

AAA: flying public will need patience in sequester cuts



Williamsville (WBEN/AP) -- The federal budget cuts will impact the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners at airports, so the flying public can expect longer lines for screening.

The sequester cuts will affect TSA personnel and their overtime, as lawmakers work to reach an agreement. 


Steve Pacer, spokesman for AAA of Western and Central New York, says the organization is hoping "it'll be sometime relatively soon, so these effects won't happen to spread everywhere."

Pacer says AAA doesn't expect significant security concerns with the TSA in the sequester cut backs, but travelers might need some patience.

"If people do have to wait in line a little bit longer, at least they'll still be as safe as they were before this even happened.

We also contacted public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security for more details on the cuts the TSA is facing -- but the call wasn't returned.

As reported in the publication The Hill, "Transportation Security Administration (TSA) chief John Pistole told lawmakers Wednesday that the biggest impact of sequestration budget cuts on airport security would come in the summer months of this year.

Pistole told lawmakers on Wednesday that the largest impacts of sequestration of air travel will not be felt immediately if Congress does not reach an agreement to avert the sequester.

Pistole said the TSA would have to freeze hiring for airport security screeners and cut back on overtime right away, which he said would impact the agency's ability to boost manpower during busier travel times throughout the year."

The Hill is a congressional newspaper that publishes daily when Congress is in session.

But it's not just the long lines for TSA screeningsthat will cause delays.

Air traffic controllers are warning that automatic spending cuts could force some of the nation's busiest airports to close runways, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations.

A report released Wednesday by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association predicts Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport will be forced to close one of its three runways because furloughs of controllers will leave too few to handle planes.

Instead of 126 landings per hour, there would be only 96 landings per hour, the report said. Hartsfield handles more passengers than any other airport in the world. The report said Houston's Intercontinental and Chicago's O'Hare airports may also have to close runways.

The spending cuts are scheduled to go into effect on Friday, but furloughs won't kick in until April.

 

 



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