Bush plans to auction off arrival and departure slots at airports in NY area

[ProSense]

NY/NJ Port Authority tells FAA to auction this

by: Jason Springer
Tue Aug 05, 2008 at 12:11:08 AM EDT

It doesn't look like anyone is in favor of the latest Bush FAA proposal:

Defying the Bush administration, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey announced on Monday that it would block any flights that result from the federal government's plan to auction off departure and arrival slots at the three major airports in the New York region. The Port Authority said the federal plan would have a severe negative impact on air travel and would be illegal without Congressional authorization.

Senator Menendez questioned the auction plan and the effect it will have on air travel in a release:

With airfares already sky-high, fewer and fewer American families are able to travel. I am concerned that auctioning off flight slots in the manner proposed by the federal government could end up pricing middle-class Americans right out of flying at the best, most convenient times of day. We need an air travel system that is as fair as possible for as many people as possible. It shouldn't favor business travelers over families the way that this proposal might, and it shouldn't penalize you so drastically just because you happen to live in a certain part of the country.

Continental Airlines agrees:

Continental shares the Port Authority's view that the DOT should abandon its fixation with auctions, as auctions are simply another tax on an already overburdened and financially fragile industry. The DOT should instead focus on modernizing the air traffic control system to increase the capacity of the New York/New Jersey airspace.

And the Air Transport Association (ATA) ripped the plan as well:

ATA agrees with the Port Authority's assessment that the DOT's proposed auction rules are unwise and unlawful. We share the Port Authority's concerns with the DOT's slot auction proposal and with its threat to add still more congestion to the region. We are carefully reviewing the Port Authority's proposed notice, said ATA President and CEO James C. May. Instead of providing the infrastructure that we all need, the DOT is trying to hide its failure behind an economics experiment to ration air service. Sadly, this illegal scheme will do nothing to reduce air traffic congestion or to meet the region's and the nation's need for air transportation.

I don't see how auctioning off departure and arrival slots does anything to reform the already overstressed system that is currently in place. It only adds more of a strain on the overall system giving the prime departure and arrival slots to the highest bidder leaving everyone else to flood the overcrowded leftovers.

Edited title because Bush apparently will do this: US to auction Newark Liberty airport slot in Sept.

[ProSense]

1. Bush is going to do it anyway. Updated OP. n/t

[Javaman]

2. The Depends Gate. "when your plane fails you, we won't!".

:rofl: