{"id":4248,"date":"2023-02-02T13:00:25","date_gmt":"2023-02-02T13:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/02\/travel-leaders-us-government-must-do-more-to-ease-woes-the-points-guy\/"},"modified":"2023-02-02T13:00:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-02T13:00:25","slug":"travel-leaders-us-government-must-do-more-to-ease-woes-the-points-guy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/02\/travel-leaders-us-government-must-do-more-to-ease-woes-the-points-guy\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel leaders: US Government must do more to ease woes – The Points Guy"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n
<\/p>\n

\n

Traveling can all too often be a giant headache \u2014 so much so that people are staying home.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve got airport delays<\/a>, cumbersome security lines<\/a>, unpredictability and \u2014 for those who aren\u2019t U.S. citizens \u2014 often paralyzing waits to get visas to enter the country.<\/p>\n

All of these problems are hurting our economy and need to be fixed now.<\/p>\n

That was the message Wednesday afternoon from Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, and Chris Nassetta, CEO of Hilton Hotels & Resorts and the incoming chairman of the travel trade group.<\/p>\n

Related: The 40 most exciting new hotel openings<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is a familiar theme with travel leaders: The industry creates jobs and tax revenue, they say, but the government isn\u2019t doing enough to make moving around as easy and seamless as possible.<\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t simple solutions.<\/p>\n

Creating a long-term funding plan for the Federal Aviation Administration has been discussed for more than a decade. Without it, air traffic control systems can\u2019t be modernized.<\/p>\n

Streamlining airport security and reducing lines at immigration involve two different branches of the Department of Homeland Security \u2014 the Transportation and Security Administration for the first and Customs and Border Protection for the second. And both agencies have a goal to protect the country, not necessarily move as many people as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n

<\/mask><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/mask><\/g><\/g><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/lineargradient><\/defs><\/svg><\/p>\n
\n

Sign up for our daily newsletter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The industry leaders know these hurdles but have a clear message: \u201cTravel\u2019s recovery is the nation\u2019s recovery.\u201d<\/p>\n

The leaders are excited about a few opportunities this year including the implementation of the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Act to improve the passenger experience and airport infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The recent nationwide shutdown of the FAA\u2019s air traffic control systems<\/a> has helped highlight just how urgent the need is for proper, long-term government funding.<\/p>\n

Passing the buck on our travel infrastructure \u201cis not acceptable,\u201d Freeman added. \u201cThere are consequences to not making decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n

They are optimistic that with the addition of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines to their trade and lobbying group, more progress across all sectors can be made.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t necessarily seen that partnership in the past,\u201d Freeman noted. \u201cWhere we engage as an industry, we see results.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hilton\u2019s Nassetta said the industry has made progress since the pandemic but still has a ways to go. (The event was held at his company\u2019s Waldorf Astoria Washington D.C.<\/a> \u2014 formerly the Trump Hotel, once owned by the former president.)<\/p>\n

Nassetta then spewed off statistics:<\/p>\n