Feds want to cut LGA flights
http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandid ... M320081222
Since that bone-headed slot auction scheme was blocked in court, the DOT is trying to cut LGA flights anyways. They're asking carriers to "voluntarily" reduce their operations to total 71 movements an hour instead of the current 75.
Not sure if it's going to affect things that much because LGA flights have been drastically reduced the last two years anyways. Operations are down 10% this year alone. So, I don't even think we see 75 (or 71, for that matter) movements an hour at LGA these days, so how much good can this do? Besides, it's only supposed to last until October, 2009.
Towards the end of the article, the DOT says that one airline strongly backs this. I heard it was AA. They drastically reduced flights into LGA anyways and have been begging the FAA to retire those slots.
Re: Feds want to cut LGA flights
That's because they still pay for those slots.
Re: Feds want to cut LGA flights
Obviously. It's all about money.
Re: Feds want to cut LGA flights
Cutting four flights is going to cut delays 40%? I think not, DOT.
I don't think this is necessary anyway. Demand to and from NYC is going to drop significantly in the coming year, it's not going to recover for quite awhile, and it might not ever reach the peak of the past couple years.
Re: Feds want to cut LGA flights
Quote:
Originally Posted by GothamSpotter
Cutting four flights is going to cut delays 40%? I think not, DOT.
I don't think this is necessary anyway. Demand to and from NYC is going to drop significantly in the coming year, it's not going to recover for quite awhile, and it might not ever reach the peak of the past couple years.
I agree. It's not going to make much difference. LGA doesn't even average 71 flights per hour anymore anyways. Is there any place where you can see how many flights are scheduled per hour? And LGA's traffic has been down by about 10% this year, but the delays are just as bad as last year.
I think, though, since the airlines don't seem to object too much to the new cap proposal and some (AA) are actively encouraging it, that we're seeing a shift of operations away from LGA to JFK. I've noticed this trend since they opened the Air Train. Since then, LGA has lost flights each year, but not as drastic as this year. Airlines are starting to consolidate their NY operations now to cut costs and because they really don't need to serve two airports here. This is especially the case with DL and AA, as they have hub operations at JFK. Furthermore, LGA just isn't a good option to travel from compared to JFK or EWR. Public transportation there is awful. I much prefer flying out of JFK or even EWR because of the train service as opposed to taking a subway then a city bus, cabbing or taking those shuttles to LGA. It's much quicker taking the train. I think passengers are realizing this too. This trend will probably continue so long as there's no train service directly to LGA, and it appears that's going to be the case.
Finally, the DOT/FAA has handled the NY congestion problem in an absolutely amateurish way. Mary Peters just wasn't qualified for this job and her ideas to battle NY congestion (congestion pricing and slot auctions) were just stupid and would have been ineffective and detrimental. There were many suggestions on how to deal with the congestion problem, but they just refused to listen and wanted to have their own way. With leadership like that, no wonder the country's transportation system is a disgrace.
Re: Feds want to cut LGA flights
Re: Feds want to cut LGA flights
There was a thread about NYC congestion posted in the USA today travel blog a few weeks ago and one of the commenters said that LGA had no more than 68 scheduled at any given hour. I was curious where he got that number from and what resource he used. I never answered the question when someone else asked. Is there a site or resource that gives this info?
