Say Administration Shouldn't Be Asserting Authority In
Matter
A Bush Administration
proposal that would sell off landing rights at New York's La
Guardia Airport to the highest bidder is drawing fire from the
airlines... who say the plan amounts to a government land-grab,
that will lead to higher ticket prices.
The New York Times reports the federal government views landing
rights as a public resource, and believes regulations shouldn't
inordinately favor one airline over the other -- even if that
airline has owned those slots for years. Currently, airlines buy or
trade sublet slots to each other.
The Federal Aviation Administration wants all slots at La
Guardia to be auctioned off, saying that arrangement will ensure
more even distribution. Agency Administrator Marion Blakey says an
auction is intended for "using the market to ensure we're making
the most of this very popular resource in New York."
The airlines maintain the government is trying to usurp their
authority over a valuable commodity.
That a fix is needed at La Guardia isn't disputed by either
side. Arriving flights are often delayed -- the average is a
staggering 38 minutes -- which results in late departures, and a
ripple effect throughout the national system. A series of temporary
flight limits imposed in 2000, which are still in force today, did
little to solve the problem.
As many as 1,400 flights pass through the New York airport per
day, with 400,000 operations in 2006. By comparison, nearby John F.
Kennedy International handled 378,000 flights last year. JFK
benefits from greater land area -- 5,000 acres, versus 560 for La
Guardia -- and parallel runways.
"It's insane, the demand out there," said Port Authority
spokesman Pasquale DiFulco.
The auction proposal is only the latest front in the battle over
landing rights at La Guardia. As Aero-News reported earlier this
year, the FAA also wants to cap the number of flights
allowed to planes smaller than 100 seats, flown by regional
operators.
According to the Air Carrier Association of America, which
represents regional carriers, small airlines have only 20 slots at
La Guardia, while "many legacy carriers have that many slots in
single markets." Those larger airlines are using the slots for
their smaller planes, ACAA adds -- when they should be flying less
flights, with larger aircraft, instead.
Under the FAA's plan, the Port Authority would run the auction.
DiFulco said his agency may also try imposing limits on gate
leases, and instituting fees for congestion charges -- i.e,
requiring higher landing fees during peak periods. A potential
problem with that plan, is the fact La Guardia really doesn't have
many "off-peak" times.
Current caps in place call for a maximum of 75 scheduled flights
per hour, plus six nonairline flights. Not surprisingly, the Times
reports airlines would like to do anyway with those six flights --
general aviation flights -- and use those slots for airline
ops.
With regards to the auction proposal, the airlines also say the
FAA should not be in the business of regulating La Guardia
operations -- but rather focusing instead on safety and
efficiency.