Travel groups praise Obama for stopping short of Ebola flight ban

Airline and travel industry groups praised the Obama administration Tuesday for restricting travel from countries that are battling Ebola to selected U.S. airports, as opposed to a full flight ban.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that it would be requiring passengers flying to the U.S. from West Africa to land at one of five airports that have extra Ebola screening already in place, starting Wednesday. 

U.S. Travel Association President Roger Dow said the administration’s decision to resist congressional pressure to institute a total flight ban was prudent. 

{mosads}”This is a substantive step in addressing an issue the public has understandably expressed a great deal of concern about, while avoiding a policy overreaction with harmful unintended consequences,” Dow said in a statement. 

“This new policy maximizes efficiency, because the screening measures that were already up and running will now capture all of the passengers from at-risk African countries, as opposed to the 94 percent they were picking up before,” Dow continued. “We believe this announcement will achieve the aim of keeping sick people out of the U.S., without abandoning whole countries in their efforts to fight Ebola or driving travelers from those countries ‘underground’ in attempts to reach the U.S.” 

The administration previously instituted special Ebola screenings at five airports: Washington Dulles International Airport, O’Hare International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. 

Lawmakers in Congress, predominantly Republicans, have pushed for a complete halt to travel between West Africa and the U.S. since the first domestic diagnosis of the deadly Ebola virus was reported last month. 

Citing health officials, the White House has argued that a flight ban would not boost security from Ebola in the U.S. because there are few flights directly from the region to domestic airports. Most travelers from West Africa, including the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S., Thomas Eric Duncan, have to pass through European airports to reach the U.S. 

The group that lobbies for airlines in Washington, Airlines for America (A4A), said Tuesday that the Obama administration’s decision to reroute passengers would only impact a handful of travelers per day. 

“A4A members are cooperating fully with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to reroute the six percent — about nine people per day — of all air travelers entering the United States from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone,” the group said in a statement provided to The Hill.

Administration officials have said that they are resisting a total flight ban because health officials have told them that it would complicate Ebola relief efforts in Africa.  

The administration’s decision to forgo the flight ban in lieu of restricting travel to the five U.S. airports was also praised by the group that lobbies for airports in Washington, the Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA).  

“We appreciate the U.S. government’s diligent efforts to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus,” ACI-NA President Kevin Burke said in a statement. 

“As public facilities, U.S. airports are responsible for providing the space needed for government and public health officials to carry out their important safety and security missions,” Burke continued. “We will continue to closely coordinate with officials, especially as the government redoubles its efforts to foster greater interagency and industry collaboration.”