The U.S. Department of Transportation today announced new measures meant to reduce aviation congestion in the New York area. The actions include flight caps, new flight patterns, new technologies and an "aviation czar to ... coordinate regional airspace issues and all projects and initiatives addressing problems of congestion and delays in New York."
The package of responses to chronic delays emanating from New York--often impacting flights across the domestic system--follows a directive by President George W. Bushto find solutions. After receiving that directive, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters created the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which this week provided its analysis.
Peters said caps at New York JFK International Airport would be instituted March 15, 2008, limiting total flights to 82 or 83 per hour, depending on time of day. Resulting from "an agreement" with airlines, the caps would remain in place through 2009.
"These limits will do much to end scheduling practices that try to squeeze in more flights an hour than runways can efficiently handle," Peters said during a speech today. "What they do not do is require airlines to cut the number of flights currently serving the area. In fact, they will allow more flights than were offered last summer, but they will be spaced out more reasonably."
Peters also directed the Federal Aviation Administration "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."
Air Transport Association chief economist John Heimlichthis week told Management.travelthat "we accept the fact that some cuts are necessary in the short-term."
Continental Airlines said it supports flight caps, at least in the short-term, "even though this will result in a reduction of Continental's proposed peak hour flights for the summer of 2008. Instituting the caps may well be the single most important step in setting the stage for improved on-time operations at the New York area airports in the summer of 2008."
As operational and capacity improvements are realized, Peters added, additional take-off and landing slots would be made available at JFK and Newark. "These new slots will be available for lease to the carrier valuing them the highest," she said.
Airlines and other industry groups, however, have sharply criticized any plans to implement an auction system for divvying up slots. Delta Air Lines has "grave concerns" about such a development. "Not only are auctions illegal, but they will do nothing to eliminate congestion," said Delta CEO Richard Anderson. "Moreover, carriers such as Delta that have substantially reduced their schedules should have their flights restored before DOT sells new capacity to the highest bidder."
Some carriers--including Delta--offered general support for DOT's overall approach. "These capacity enhancements coupled with the regrettable, but necessary, temporary hourly caps on operations will greatly improve JetBlue's operational reliability for the benefit of our customers," said JetBlue Airways CEO Dave Barger.
Meanwhile, the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee favored the creation of a "czar" who would coordinate Northeast air traffic. The group--consisting of representatives from DOT, FAA, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the State of New York, airlines, consumer groups and other interested parties--said such a person "would be a single point of accountability and could sidestep the bureaucratic process. "
Other elements in DOT's plan include new flight patterns at Newark and Philadelphia International airports; a federal task force to coordinate airlines' and airports' efforts during lengthy delays; and satellite-based navigation procedures "that will allow improved bad weather routing, and [allow] shorter flights to operate at lower altitudes to open more room for long-haul flights at higher altitudes."
DOT also said it would make available military airspace along the East Coast to commercial traffic on certain days between Dec. 21 and Jan. 2, following the successful use of such "holiday express lanes" during the busy Thanksgiving travel period. DOT received permission from the Department of Defense to use military airspace in southern California during the same timeframe.