Letter to the Hon. Nicholas E. Calio, President & CEO of Airlines for America - Rep. Norman Leads Letter to Airlines for America Questioning the Surge in Flight Cancellations

Letter

Dear Mr. Calio:
We write today to inquire about the ability of the airline industry to recover from the
COVID-19 pandemic given various economic impediments, and to express our concerns about
recent cancellations in the face of surging demand for flights. For example, American Airlines
announced that it is forced to cancel hundreds of flights during peak demand this summer due to
vendor staffing shortages and maintenance problems, among other issues.

Even as demand for flights exceeds pre-pandemic levels, we continue to be concerned about the impact of labor shortages on the airline industry and the economy in general. Also of concern is the fact that the airline industry and its supporting businesses received billions in Payroll Support Program funds from the Treasury Department during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

It is clear that enhanced unemployment benefits and other COVID-19 related issues are
weighing down on the American economy. Many workers in fact are incentivized to stay at
home and receive unemployment compensation instead of rejoining the workforce, as their
benefits with COVID-19 enhancements are substantially higher than normal. While this made sense during the COVID-19 pandemic-induced shutdowns and economic downturn, the reopening of the economy made possible by safe and effective vaccines cannot happen if we
incentivize the labor force to stay at home.

This is occurring at the same time as spending-induced inflation erodes the savings of
many Americans, especially those on fixed incomes. Yet inflation in prices of products will
also affect the ability of airlines to operate and could inflate ticket prices as well as those costs
are passed onto the customer. Airline companies play an essential role in the American
economy, and we are especially concerned that they get back to operating at 100% capacity,
particularly as they received billions in taxpayer funds during the pandemic.

To that end, please make arrangements to schedule a briefing no later than July 21, 2021
on the airline industry's plans to recover from the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, how the
airline industry utilized taxpayer funds during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as any obstacles
standing in the way to achieving normalcy. To schedule the briefing or ask any follow-up or
related questions, please contact Committee on Oversight and Reform Republican staff at (202)
225-5074.

The Committee on Oversight and Reform is the principal oversight committee of the U.S.
House of Representatives and has broad authority to investigate "any matter" at "any time" under
House Rule X.

Thank you for your attention to this important request.