Aviation

Many of them were unsure when they got there if their flights would leave on time, or would be delayed.

Rep. Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) applauded the public for putting pressure on the White House to accept a legislative fix.

In his weekly address, President Obama called for a full replacement of the sequester.

A coalition of more than 3,000 advocacy groups criticized Congress for fixing air traffic furloughs but ignoring the sequester's other consequences, such as medical research cuts.

NDD United, which fights reductions in discretionary spending, urged lawmakers in a letter Friday to turn off sequestration altogether instead of "picking favorites."

"Earmarking certain priorities for exemption in a piecemeal fashion is not a long-term solution," the groups wrote.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) took opposing views in Friday's vote on a bill to end furloughs for air traffic controllers.

Hoyer made it clear that he would oppose the bill and encouraged other members to reject legislation that would resolve the sequester for the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic controllers but not other federal agencies.

A House-passed bill funding air traffic controllers at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will go directly to the White House for President Obama's signature into law.

The question of whether the bill would need to go back to the Senate for passage was the subject of some confusion on Friday. But a Senate Democratic aide told The Hill that the Senate will not need to look at it again.

Sen. Susan Collins and the airline industry scored victories, while President Obama suffered a defeat.

Legislation allowing the government to re-direct millions of dollars was approved in an overwhelming 361-41 vote.

The House is expected to vote today on a bill that would let the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) dodge the sequester, which could end the battle over rising flight delays around the country.

Late Thursday, the Senate passed S. 853, the Reducing Flight Delays Act. The bill gives the secretary of transportation to move up to $253 million to the FAA to help avoid furloughs of thousands of air traffic controllers.

The passage of the bill, sponsored by Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), capped a day of scrambling.