Bush Seeks Air Traffic Delay Remedies

The White House today directed aviation officials to reduce air traffic congestion and delays by next summer in attempts to head off a repeat of what is widely considered the worst travel season in air travel history.

President Bush today asked Transportation Secretary Mary Peters to confer with the aviation industry and report back by year-end with solutions to implement next year.

DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration already are in the midst of alleviating congestion, Secretary Peters said today during a briefing. The immediate focus is on the New York City air space, where Peters said three-quarters of chronic airline delays are rooted.

The Federal Aviation Administration this month approved a new system of flight patterns that includes the New York airspace and others in the Northeast. John McCartney, FAA acting director of terminal operations in the Eastern Services Area, expects full implementation to take five years. FAA said it seeks to cut delays by up to 20 percent.

Secretary Peters said nothing is off the table in DOT's review and solutions could include congestion pricing, a move the airline industry opposes. "We're going to address customer concerns and address congestion," Peters said today. "Our preference is to get a bill and work with the industry, but if we can't do that, we'll follow the President's mandate."

In the meantime, FAA plans to convene a meeting with carriers that serve New York JFK and other stakeholders to discuss reducing schedules and de-peaking flight times.

In an agreement brokered by federal negotiators in 2004, domestic airlines agreed to limit total scheduled peak-hour arrivals to 88 per hour at the congested Chicago O'Hare International Airport. However, Secretary Peters today said the situation and solutions in New York differ from O'Hare, which was "a temporary solution."

The Secretary's announcement comes amid several legislative reviews of airline delays this week, including a Senate committee hearing today, a House committee hearing yesterday and a report by the DOT Inspector General earlier this week examining causes and solutions for onboard delays.

American Airlines executive vice president of Maintenance and Operations Robert Reding in testimony during today's Senate subcommittee hearing said the FAA's plan to "mitigate congestion in the New York air space" is one of the most important initiatives moving forward, as "delays at the New York area airports frequently ripple throughout the country." Delta Air Lines executive vice president of operations Joe Kolshak said most of Delta's delays "either originate or are caused by congestion in the Northeast."

However, the airlines generally are opposed to government-mandated flight reductions, the establishment of new capacity caps or congestion pricing, which would charge carriers more to operate at peak hours. "Congress should resist calls to force airlines to reduce flights or impose economic measures to curb passenger demand simply because this approach is expedient," Air Transport Association president James May said during the House subcommittee hearing yesterday.

While carriers are quick to point to an outmoded air traffic control system and the growing prevalence of business aviation aircraft that further strains the system, the consensus among those testifying this week shows the system rife with problems in all areas, including infrastructure and airline management problems, and no panacea for reducing delays.

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) today told airline representatives, "The system is stressed, but your policies are stressing people." He noted airline-induced delays, including crew problems and other internal airline functions.

Of the delays occurring in the first seven months of the year, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported airlines were responsible for 28 percent, and the national airspace system, which includes air traffic control and airport operators, was responsible for an additional 28 percent. However, those problems ripple further through the national transportation system, as late-arriving aircraft-due to prior issues in other cities-cause further delays and comprise 38 percent of all delays for the first half of the year. Weather only accounted for 6 percent of delays for the first half of the year.

DOT and FAA also plan to increase consumer protection, including an increase in denied boarding compensation, further access to on-time performance data and stronger oversight of chronically delayed flights. "DOT is also assessing the effectiveness of contingency plans for tarmac delays and point of purchase information related to chronically delayed flights," according to a White House statement today.

DOT's Inspector General Calvin Scovel III, in a report issued this week, said 28 percent of the flights in the first seven months of this year were delayed, cancelled or diverted. If that pace is maintained, 2007 will be the worst year for delays and cancellations on record. "Not only are there more delays, but also longer delay durations. Of domestic flights arriving late in 2006, the average delay was a record-breaking 54 minutes," the Inspector General said.

The Inspector General made several recommendations to help curb delays that involve passengers stranded onboard and to better treat passengers unfortunate enough to be grounded. Secretary Peters endorsed the report's findings.

The Inspector General asked airlines to define what constitutes an "extended period of time" for aircraft delays with passengers onboard; required them to report on-time performance through their own channels to travelers at the time of booking; and required airports to institute contingency plans in coordination with the FAA for onboard flight delays, among others. The Inspector General also called for the establishment of a "national task force of airlines, airports and FAA to coordinate and develop contingency plans to deal with lengthy delays, such as working with carriers and the airport to share facilities and make gates available in an emergency."