Washington ( CNN ) -- The U.S. Senate approved a measure on Thursday aimed at ending budget-related air traffic controller furloughs that have been blamed for widespread flight delays this week . A bipartisan agreement giving Transportation Department budget planners new flexibility for dealing with forced spending cuts cleared the chamber unanimously . `` It will be good news for America 's traveling public if Congress spares them these unnecessary delays , '' White House spokesman Jay Carney said . `` But ultimately , this is no more than a temporary Band-Aid that fails to address the overarching threat to our economy posed by the sequester 's mindless across the board cuts . '' The House was expected to take up the proposal on Friday . The plan also would allow authorities to protect 149 control towers at small and medium-sized airports that are slated for closure for budgetary reasons . Controller furloughs and the planned closure of towers that are privately run but overseen by federal aviation regulators have become political flash points in the partisan-fueled debate over spending in Washington . They have been highlighted by many to illustrate a clear nationwide consequence of the $ 85 billion in government-wide cuts that took effect in March and may otherwise not be apparent to the public . Vocal and politically powerful aviation interests have argued that the budget cuts affecting their industry would hurt business , travelers and cost jobs . More than 600 million people fly U.S. airlines each year , figures show . Furloughs affecting some 15,000 Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers began this week with the agency saying it had no flexibility to avert them without action by Congress . Under the sweeping austerity triggered by congressional inaction on deficit reduction , the FAA was required to cut $ 600 million from its budget . The proposal approved by the Senate would allow the Transportation Department to adjust funding to `` prevent reduced operations and staffing '' for the remainder of the current federal budget year , which expires on September 30 . More than 863 flight delays were attributable to furlough-related staffing shortages on Wednesday at air traffic facilities in Chicago , New York , Washington , Cleveland , Jacksonville , Los Angeles , Detroit and Dallas , the FAA said . By comparison , there were more than 2,100 delays due to weather and other factors , the agency said . Controllers are spacing planes farther apart at key centers so they can manage traffic with current staffing , the FAA said . The deal designed to loosen the grip of spending cuts on aviation moved quickly through the Senate . `` Something rare has happened in Washington ; the Senate came together on a bipartisan basis to put common sense before politics , '' said Republican Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas . Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins said she worried that continued FAA furloughs could jeopardize jobs throughout the travel and hospitality industry . Earlier this spring , Congress approved a stop-gap budget law that would , among other things , ease budget cuts for the departments of Agriculture , Commerce , Defense , Homeland Security , Justice , and Veterans Affairs . CNN 's Jim Acosta , Dana Bash and Kevin Liptak contributed to this report .
NEW : White House calls solution a `` Band-Aid '' Furloughs impacted 15,000 flight controllers due to forced , government-wide spending cuts . Controller staffing shortages began this week , impacting airline flights . Bipartisan Senate plan would give transportation planners new budget flexibility .