Mike Levin: “I am very disappointed language was not included in the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act…”

“I am very disappointed language was not included in the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act addressing employee compensation for the thousands of airline employees who have lost their jobs in the past week. It is imperative that we address this in the immediate future. However, there is a crucial need to act swiftly to stabilize the airline industry. Therefore, I will support this legislation which includes a number of critical provisions to stabilize the airline industry and restore confidence in this industry. I hope that we will address employee compensation and additional airline security issues in the very near future. The airline industry is losing about $300 million to $350 million a day. Losses incurred by the industry for the 2 days that the airlines were grounded total $1.25 billion. In the past week alone there have been 100,000 layoffs by the airlines including 10,000 at Northwest Airlines. Northwest Airlines has as a major hub in Detroit and serves as an economic engine for Michigan with over 18,000 employees in the State. Northwest Airlines now has a net negative booking rate which means that more people are calling to cancel their tickets than there are people calling to purchase tickets. The airlines are now only carrying about 30 to 40 percent of their normal capacity. We cannot let this important industry go under. There is simply too much at stake.”