Lubbock International Airport Could Feel Effects of Sequester
By: Ashley Hinson
Updated: February 22, 2013
If Washington can't come to an agreement before the March 1st Sequester, Lubbock International Airport could be without air traffic controllers overnight.
That option is a serious consideration right now to help reduce spending, but one thing that's for certain is that the FAA is furloughing all of their employees, including those in Lubbock.
The employees would be required to take one day off, without
pay, every two weeks.
Simply put, on any given day 10% of the FAA will be laid
off.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood spoke about these changes in Washington Friday, and although he says the circumstances are unfortunate, he insists airplane safety won't change.
"Safety is our top priority and we would never allow the amount of air travel we can handle safely to take off and land, which means travelers should expect delays," said LaHood.
Another downfall of this 600 million dollar budget cut is that Lubbock Airport's maintenance budget will be drastically reduced. If something breaks, it will take much longer to fix.
