US: Key lawmaker pushes US airlines to explain worker shortages and flight delays after billions in federal aid

The head of a key congressional committee overseeing the aviation industry is pushing six US airlines to explain worker shortages, flight cancellations and delays after the government supplied billions in federal aid to the airline industry amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Democrat from Washington and chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, wrote Friday to the CEOs of American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Republic, and Allegiant airlines, asking them about reports of pilot, flight attendant and worker shortages and to account for the use of the $54b in federal relief to keep workers employed that was contingent on no layoffs. Cantwell wrote that she is "concerned that, at best," the airlines "poorly managed its marketing of flights and workforce as more people are traveling, and, at worst, it failed to meet the intent of tax payer funding and prepare for the surge in travel that we are now witnessing." The senator also requested a staff briefing from each of the airlines by the end of the month. <br/>