President Bush said Tuesday that his administration is trying to prevent frustrating flight delays over the holidays. Corridors of military airspace will be temporarily opened to commercial airlines as a way to reduce air congestion, according to the Associated Press.
Space in the Midwest, Southwest and the West Coast, including the skies around Los Angeles and Phoenix, will be included, the report said. The move will be helpful if bad weather further snarls air traffic.
Bush also said that new regulations raising the amount airlines must pay travelers for lost bags and if they fail to notify passengers about hidden fees will be in place in time for the Christimas travel crunch.
He’s also signed an executive order to make modernizing the nation’s aviation infrastructure a top priority for all federal agencies, he said.
Delta Air Lines praised the decision to open up more air space, the report said. But Air Transport Association officials said the move doesn’t address the heart of the problem. Last year, there was good weather over the holidays, which led to better performance, the report said.
About 24 million passengers are expected to fly over the 12 days covering the Thanksgiving holiday this year, according to the ATA. That’s about 10 percent fewer than last year. Airlines, though, have cut about 10 percent of the capacity from their systems. That means planes will be just as crowded.
One Comment
The problem is not airspace, it is airport space.