DOT Secretary Announces New Proposals to Reduce Flight Delays

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters 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.

Secretary Peters said the new measures include an agreement to cap hourly operations at New York’s Kennedy (JFK), plans for hourly limits at Newark and capacity improvements for the region, 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 caps will take effect March 15, 2008, and will last through 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, but will be more reasonably spaced, she said.

The Secretary also directed the FAA to enter into negotiations to set hourly caps at Newark, so that flights aren't simply shifted there, thus erasing the gains made at JFK.

In addition, the Secretary announced new departure patterns at Newark and Philadelphia that will allow aircraft to fan out after takeoff 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 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 FAA and Department of Defense 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, Ms. Peters said.

Further, 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.

Finally, she urged Congress to act on pending legislation that would enable FAA to move forward with a next generation air traffic system.  12-20-2007.

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