My morning ritual always starts with a large cup of coffee and turning on the news. On Friday, President Obama addressed the public regarding the sequester, which involves mandated spending cuts on many public services. When watching the news, I take everything said with a grain of salt; however, to hear once again the U.S. public has to suffer because Republicans and Democrats cannot get along is a downer. 

 

The media immediately jumped on this story. My local Los Angeles news network quickly got a reporter over to LAX to discuss the impacts on the travel industry. Because the FAA needs automatic spending cuts, the agency will cut midnight shifts of traffic controllers at over 60 airport towers and close 100 towers of smaller airports. CBS is quoting delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours in high-traffic areas like New York, Chicago and San Francisco due to fewer personnel. This is a scary thought for business travelers trying to get into or connecting through New York. My suggestion is to book flights the night before a meeting and not the day of, and expect to be home late for dinner.

 

The travel industry and travelers themselves have been beat up enough; can’t we all just get along?

 

— Carly Allen, vice president