[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 80 (Tuesday, May 9, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2842-S2843]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                            Spirit Airlines

  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, most everybody has seen the news of 
another disturbance with regard to an airline in an airport terminal. 
Indeed, what has happened at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood 
International Airport just in the last day has been a disturbance where 
they had to call in the Broward County Sheriff's Office to put down the 
disturbance because there were some upset people.
  I have just gotten off the phone with the CEO of Spirit Airlines, as 
well as the head of the Air Line Pilots Association, and basically have 
told them that they should get this thing fixed and get it fixed quick. 
There is not so much a labor dispute, because they are in negotiations 
and I think are reaching final conclusions, but, as a result of some 
things with the schedule, it caused a number of flights to be canceled 
and, unfortunately, canceled right at the last before they could let 
the passengers know ahead of time before they ever came to the airport. 
Even much more of an irritant, they load them on the airplane as if 
they are ready to go and then tell them they don't have a crew of 
pilots and, therefore, the flight has to be canceled. Those problems 
are going to go through today and tomorrow.
  I am given to believe--having talked to the head of the pilot's 
union, as well as the CEO of the airline--that they will have this 
straightened out over the next several days. It has been costly, and it 
has certainly been an irritant and an inconvenience to the passengers 
because 300 flights have been canceled already in the past several 
days, and we are going to see some more canceled in the next couple of 
days.
  Now, this all culminated in what the American television viewer has 
seen--a chaotic scene at Spirit's front ticket counter at the Fort 
Lauderdale airport after passengers had to get off of the airplane and 
the canceled flight. Many people have seen this video. It is now 
circulating online. Obviously, these passengers were very frustrated, 
and it took, unfortunately, the deputies coming in to put down the 
disturbance.
  Having said that, this is just the latest. Doesn't that recall 
something else that has happened in the last few weeks--a passenger 
being dragged off of an airplane, beaten, and bloodied? Then, who has 
to come and get him but an element of the airport authority of Chicago. 
Haven't we also seen on another TV episode--and isn't this telling us 
something--that passengers are now recording evidence of how passengers 
are being treated because they have cell phones and cell phones have 
video cameras. So we saw an airline employee kind of go off on 
passengers in the case of another airline. Well, airlines, you had 
better start fixing this because the passengers are not going to 
tolerate it.
  On the instant circumstance, having talked with the CEO and the head 
of the union, they are in these discussions. I think they are going to 
get it fixed. But they need to fix it fast because the traveling public 
only has so much patience. What happened at Fort Lauderdale was 
unacceptable and deeply unfair to the affected passengers, the 
overwhelmed airline employees, and local law enforcement. It was 
unfair. Let's not forget, also in dealing with the Fort Lauderdale 
airport, that memories are still fresh of the shooting that took place 
in January at the baggage claim.
  Now, what happened just last night in Fort Lauderdale is just another 
example of passengers becoming sick and tired of what they perceive as 
mistreatment by airlines, be it that circumstance in Chicago with the 
forcible removal of a passenger, or be it failing airline IT systems 
and airline fees run amok. So the airlines had better start paying 
attention to this.
  It appears airlines are giving the impression that they have 
forgotten their customers must come first. So what is it? I know the 
airline companies don't intend to do this, but it is happening. It is 
being recorded on video, and it is all the more causing people to 
express their frustrations.
  I have no trouble in putting the airlines on notice. If they can't 
get their act together and start treating the flying public with 
respect rather than making them think they are self-loading cargo, then 
this Congress is going to be forced to act, and that time is going to 
come soon as the Senate begins work this year on what will be a 
bipartisan long-term bill to reauthorize the Federal Aviation 
Administration. That bill is coming later this year.
  I just want to say in conclusion that we have had a hearing in our 
Commerce Committee on this. I thought that would be enough and this 
Senator wouldn't have to speak out anymore, but here, again, we have 
another incident. My heart goes out, for example, to some of the CEOs 
who are trying to change a culture of treating passengers with 
disrespect or ignorance. It is important they change that culture 
because we will continue to see these kinds of circumstances arise if 
passengers do not feel like they are getting the proper respect they 
deserve. After all, they are customers. They are paying customers of 
the airlines.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Johnson). The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  All postcloture time has expired.
  The question is, Will the Senate advise and consent to the Gottlieb 
nomination?
  Mr. NELSON. Mr. President, I ask for the yeas and nays.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there a sufficient second?
  There appears to be a sufficient second.
  The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk called the roll.

[[Page S2843]]

  

  Mr. CORNYN. The following Senator is necessarily absent: the Senator 
from Georgia (Mr. Isakson).
  Further, if present and voting, the Senator from Georgia (Mr. 
Isakson) would have voted ``yea.''
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Are there any other Senators in the Chamber 
desiring to vote?
  The result was announced--yeas 57, nays 42, as follows:

                      [Rollcall Vote No. 124 Ex.]

                                YEAS--57

     Alexander
     Barrasso
     Bennet
     Blunt
     Boozman
     Burr
     Capito
     Carper
     Cassidy
     Cochran
     Collins
     Coons
     Corker
     Cornyn
     Cotton
     Crapo
     Cruz
     Daines
     Enzi
     Ernst
     Fischer
     Flake
     Gardner
     Graham
     Grassley
     Hatch
     Heitkamp
     Heller
     Hoeven
     Inhofe
     Johnson
     Kennedy
     King
     Lankford
     Lee
     McCain
     McConnell
     Moran
     Murkowski
     Nelson
     Paul
     Perdue
     Portman
     Risch
     Roberts
     Rounds
     Rubio
     Sasse
     Scott
     Shelby
     Strange
     Sullivan
     Thune
     Tillis
     Toomey
     Wicker
     Young

                                NAYS--42

     Baldwin
     Blumenthal
     Booker
     Brown
     Cantwell
     Cardin
     Casey
     Cortez Masto
     Donnelly
     Duckworth
     Durbin
     Feinstein
     Franken
     Gillibrand
     Harris
     Hassan
     Heinrich
     Hirono
     Kaine
     Klobuchar
     Leahy
     Manchin
     Markey
     McCaskill
     Menendez
     Merkley
     Murphy
     Murray
     Peters
     Reed
     Sanders
     Schatz
     Schumer
     Shaheen
     Stabenow
     Tester
     Udall
     Van Hollen
     Warner
     Warren
     Whitehouse
     Wyden

                             NOT VOTING--1

       
     Isakson
      
  The nomination was confirmed.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under the previous order, the motion to 
reconsider is considered made and laid upon the table, and the 
President will be immediately notified of the Senate's action.
  The Senator from Florida.

                          ____________________