Feds Cap Flights In NYC To Ease Delays

After Months Of Negotiations, Gov't Offers Plans To Reduce Flight Congestion Nationwide

(CBS/AP)  Fewer flights will go in and out of New York City airports at the busiest times to try to ease chronic nationwide air travel delays, the government said Wednesday.

To help holiday travelers, military airspace will be opened to commercial traffic on the East and West Coasts, the government said.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters made the announcement after months of closed-door wrangling with the airlines over how to curb air traffic around New York City's three major airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey.

Delays often begin in the congested New York area then spread across the nation.

"I had hoped to be able to avoid caps but the truth is for the short term, for the next few years this is the solution that will provide some relief for travelers," Peters said.

Beginning next March, flights in and out of New York's JFK Airport will be limited to 82 to 83 an hour during peak times, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Plante. The airlines had been scheduling as many as 100 flights an hour. Similar caps will go into effect at Newark, but the exact number has yet to be determined. LaGuardia already has limits on flights.

The caps were immediately criticized by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the region's three major airports. Port Authority Executive Director Anthony Shorris said the FAA was "simply wrong" about the capacity at JFK, which he said is capable of handling as many as 100 flights per hour.

The downside is that fewer flights during popular peak hours could mean higher ticket prices, Plante reports.

The government's move means airlines will have to slash the number of flights they schedule at JFK during peak hours. Those most likely to be affected by the changes are business travelers, who prefer to fly in the morning or at the end of the day.

The region's three major airports have the worst on-time arrival record of all major U.S. airports through October. Aviation officials say delays in New York have a cascade effect throughout the system causing three-quarters of all flight delays in the nation.

Overall, the industry's on-time performance through October was the second worst on record since collection of comparable data began in 1995. Nearly one in four flights arrived late in the first 10 months of the year.

"The American public, the passengers, the customers and consumers want and deserve a much more dependable, much more reliable system, and this is what this plan will do," Peters said.

The Federal Aviation Administration, which met with airline officials throughout the fall seeking ways to solve delays at New York's three major airports, plans to create a "czar" for air travel in the region.

Peters also confirmed the government would be opening military airspace to commercial flights in order to accommodate the holiday season crush. A similar temporary measure was done during Thanksgiving week on the East Coast. A section of West Coast airspace will be added this time to try to smooth travel in and out of southern California, Peters said.

JetBlue spokesman Bryan Baldwin said the airline, the largest operator of flights at JFK, is confident it can shuffle its schedule to meet the cap without trimming service. "We won't have to eliminate any routes," he said.

Baldwin said the airline was "grateful" that the Department of Transportation had decided against proposals that might have stripped all carriers of their current slots and forced them to repurchase them through an auction.

Executives at JetBlue Airways Corp. broke with other airlines earlier this year by calling for a temporary cap on flights at Kennedy, saying the airport had become too congested to operate reliably.

The government described the New York airport caps as a short-term approach lasting two years, at which point officials said they hope new technology and modernized systems will allow for greater capacity in the region.

After that two-year period, Peters said the government would like to auction additional flight slots at JFK to the highest bidder.

In two years, however, the decision will be made by someone else, since the Bush administration will have ended.

[fstop100]

P.S. the port of Authority doesn''t like this idea because the don''t control these airports and wouldn''t make a profit from them.

[fstop100]

This is the only way to cut delays. Too many planes is too many planes. The other alternative is to use other existing airports. We already have them but no one uses them. Allentown Pa. and Stewart NY are 2 examples.

[l8c6]

What kind of idiots prefer government regulation to free markets? Americans!

Posted by random_radar

Ones who don''t want planes colliding in the air and falling in neighborhoods. --silly non-americans who like unbridled brats don''t like limits set on irresponsible behavior. The "free Market" is like a man thinking with his di*ck.

[l8c6]

Are all these planes full? If not, that will help some, and if they are, get bigger planes (more seats) unless the infrastructure in the terminal (handling bags etc.) is so stretched that the flight delays are caused by THAT piece of the puzzle. If we had a high-speed rail system that would be even better.

Posted by farmerbb

Yes, they should be full. If demand led to more flights in the first place setting a cap on the number of flights will lead to even greater demand and very full flights --and more expensive ones.

The higher price is limited by how high the fewer travelers are willing to pay for a ticket.

It could narrow the profit margin. Henry Ford didn''t make money by building a few really expensive cars for a few wealthy people. He made money selling cheap cars to the masses.

[farmerbb]

Are all these planes full ? If not, that will help some, and if they are, get bigger planes (more seats) unless the infrastructure in the terminal (handling bags etc.) is so stretched that the flight delays are caused by THAT piece of the puzzle. If we had a high-speed rail system that would be even better.

[random_radar]

Trust the government to come up with a great solution! Unhappy because your flight is delayed? The government will end your worries by not letting you fly. And for those of you lucky enough to still get a flight, prices will be higher. What kind of idiots prefer government regulation to free markets? Americans!

[mandylou4u]

I had to say it, but this is common sense. Could you not know that if there are fewer airplanes in the air, that there would be fewer delays? Did they really have to waste alot of money to come up with this conclusion?