U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters Announces New Proposals to Reduce Air Travel Delays During Holidays & Summer of 08
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, DOT
Dec 20, 2007 - 6:29:19 AM
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HERNDON, VA -- U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today announced new
measures to reduce airline delays over the holiday season and new actions
designed to reduce congestion in the New York area starting next summer.
“These new measures will cut delays, protect consumer choice, support
New York’s economy, and allow for new flights as we bring new capacity online,”
Secretary Peters said.
She said the new measures developed at the
direction of President Bush this fall include an agreement to cap hourly
operations at JFK International Airport, plans for hourly limits at Newark and
capacity improvements for the region, and were based on input from a multi-month
process that involved airlines, airports and consumer advocates.
The
agreement among the major airlines serving JFK caps the number of flights at
either 82 or 83 per hour, depending on the time of day, Secretary Peters said.
The hourly caps will take effect March 15, 2008 and will be in place for 2008
and 2009. Airlines will be able to shift their flights to times of the day when
the airport has unused capacity, allowing 50 more flights per day than were
offered last summer - just more reasonably spaced, she said.
The
Secretary also directed the FAA to enter into negotiations to set hourly caps at
Newark International Airport, so that flights aren’t simply shifted there,
erasing gains made at JFK. Effective today, Secretary Peters also announced new
take-off patterns at Newark and Philadelphia International Airport that will
allow aircraft to fan out after take off and provide more options for aircraft
waiting to depart.
She said the FAA is working closely with airports and
airlines to make similar operational improvements next year, including new
satellite-based navigation procedures for the New York and Philadelphia airports
that will allow improved bad weather routing, and allowing shorter flights to
operate at lower altitudes to open more room for long-haul flights at higher
altitudes.
The Secretary also authorized the appointment of an aviation
“czar” to serve as director of the newly-created New York Integration Office.
The czar will coordinate regional airspace issues and all projects and
initiatives addressing problems of congestion and delays in New York. And as
operational improvements increase capacity at area airports, new slots will be
leased to airlines with the revenue being used for airspace and airport
improvements in the region.
Secretary Peters said the FAA and Defense
Department will open military airspace to commercial flights over the Atlantic
seaboard from the evening of Dec. 21 to the morning of the Dec.26, and from
evening of Dec. 28 to the morning of Jan. 2. In addition, western military
airspace will be opened from Dec. 21 to the morning of Jan. 2 to help
accommodate flights in and out of southern California, she said.
“These
Holiday Express lanes in the sky will give airlines the wiggle room they need to
avoid backups, evade weather, and dodge delays,” Secretary Peters
said.
In addition, the Secretary said she has formed a new federal
advisory task force that will help airlines and airports better coordinate when
unexpected weather strands passengers on tarmacs and in airports. She also
authorized the FAA to exercise liberal use of overtime to make sure facilities
are staffed to handle the surge in traffic, and placed a moratorium on
non-essential maintenance through the holidays so controllers can focus on
traffic.
Secretary Peters said she will continue talks with airlines and
airports to look at ways to utilize broader market-based mechanisms to combat
delays not only in the New York region, but in clogged aviation centers
elsewhere around the country.
And she urged Congress to act on
legislation, provided 10 months ago by the Administration, that would enable FAA
to move forward with a next generation air traffic system. “By eliminating this
single delay, Congress can help end aviation gridlock, expand aviation capacity,
and keep our skies safe,” Secretary Peters said.
New
Federal Advisory Task Force on Tarmac and Airport Delays affecting passengers
East coast
Map
West Coast
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JFK
Delay and Constraint Analysis
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