US President Barack Obama's sequestration hits the Edmonton International Airport
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Spending cuts in the United States have Edmonton International Airport officials concerned about potential travel delays.
Automatic spending cuts enacted by U.S. congress Friday have already affected staffing with US Customs and Border Protection Services at airports across Canada, including Edmonton.
“(The cuts) have been initiated, and we’re going to have to look and see how they will affect passengers. We just don’t know how it will right now,” said EIA spokeswoman Traci Bednard, adding peak travel times are approaching.
“Obviously of concern is spring break coming up. That’s a very busy time for us. The other thing I would say is US-Canada traffic is extremely strong, and has been over the past few years. It’s a really important part of our market that’s grown every year.
“So any potential impact on those passengers is of concern, just because it’s such a significant portion of our traffic.”
Of the 6.5 million passengers the EIA serves every year, Bednard said about one million are going between the Canada-US border.
A US Customs public inquiry window at the EIA was closed on Friday, with a sign citing “US Budget Sequestration” as the reason for closure. Bednard said different ports have been affected in different ways.
At this point, she said there is little airport officials can do other than continue to watch the developments south of the border and see what happens.
“We’re going to watch to see whether there’s an impact to passengers, and if we’re noticing things we’ll try to communicate that. For example, ask people to come early if required and that kind of thing,” she said.
Bednard said it would not be a bad idea for travelers to give themselves a little extra time at the airport if they plan to travel in the coming days, but that it’s too early to say for certain whether wait times will be increased.
The cuts will also impact those stopping over in the US for other international flights.
“If we have a million passengers that are traveling across our border, that’s important quality of life for people traveling for holidays. But it’s also really important trade and commerce,” Bednard said.
US President Barack Obama signed an order last week to set $85 billion worth of cuts in motion after Democrats and Republicans failed to strike a deal to lower the country’s debt.
kevin.maimann@sunmedia.ca
@SunKevinM
