DOT 7-09
Contact: Sarah Echols, Tel.:(202) 366-4570
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters Announces
Final Plan for Schedule Reductions to Address LaGuardia Airport Congestion and
Delays
WASHINGTON – Airlines operating at New York’s
LaGuardia Airport will have until Feb. 2 to tell the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) which flights they will voluntarily give up in order to
reduce congestion at the airport, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters
announced today.
“We need to take steps now to help flyers avoid gridlock at LaGuardia this
summer,” Secretary Peters said. “These voluntary reductions will provide
immediate relief while efforts continue on long-term solutions to aviation
congestion in New York.”
The final order, issued today by DOT’s Federal Aviation Administration, puts
into action the proposed plan that was submitted for comment last Dec. 22 for
LaGuardia carriers to voluntarily reduce scheduled operations from an average of
75 per hour to 71. The flight reductions must take place by May 31 and will be
in effect until Oct. 24.
In October, the Department announced plans to hold slot auctions at the three
major New York-area airports to help preserve competition and keep airfares low
while flight caps are in place, but the auctions were stayed by court order. The
Secretary said today’s action is a near-term step toward restoring reliable air
service to LaGuardia, adding that any future long-term plan should include
market-based solutions. Under today’s order, the slots voluntarily returned by
the carriers by Feb. 2 will be credited toward any required reductions if slot
auctions proceed. Slots returned or withdrawn for nonuse after Feb 2 will be
retired to meet the new hourly cap, and carriers will not receive credit for
those returns.
The Secretary said in 2007 and in the first 10 months of 2008, LaGuardia ranked
last among the 32 major U.S. airports in on-time arrival performance, with an
arrival rate just above 61 percent. The airport ranked just 28th for on-time
departure performance over the first 10 months of 2008. Recent data show that
lowering the hourly cap on operations from 75 to 71 could reduce delays by up to
41 percent, saving up to $178 million in delay related costs per year.
The voluntary flight reductions are part of a larger effort to reduce delays at
New York airports, including opening military airspace, increasing consumer
protections, and implementing operational improvements. The Department also has
opened an additional westbound departure route out of New York area airports,
added escape routes during convective weather when en route airspace is limited,
and redesigned airspace to more efficiently move airplanes.
The Federal Register notice on flight reductions is available for review at
http://www.federalregister.gov/inspection.aspx#special.
###