The Department of Transportation (DOT) is giving airlines until Feb. 2 to decide which flights they will “voluntarily” give up at New York LaGuardia (LGA). The aim: reduce delays at the most congested major airport in the country.
The government wants carriers to cut scheduled operations from 75 down to 71 per hour. Those cuts would click in May 31, and remain in effect through Oct. 24. That means New York flights diminish during the busy summer travel season – and that’s precisely the point.
“We need to take steps now to help flyers avoid gridlock at LaGuardia this summer,” says departing DOT Secretary Mary E. Peters. “These voluntary reductions will provide immediate relief while efforts continue on long-term solutions to aviation congestion in New York.”
The airlines’ reaction to DOT’s plan? In a prepared statement, the Air Transport Association contends, “the most meaningful way to reduce delays is to fully implement operational and technological improvements—not to artificially constrain demand.”
How bad are things at LaGuardia? During all of 2007, and the first 10 months of 2008, the jam-packed pocketport ranked dead last among the 32 major U.S. airports. An average of just 62 percent of the flights got to LGA’s gates on time.
© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler
