Airport Auction Plan Criticised As "Hare Brained"
The New York airport slot auctions plan has been criticised as "hare-brained" by New York's Senator, Charles Schumer.
Speaking at a Congress aviation subcommittee meeting, Schumer said the US Department of Transportation (DOT)'s plan to introduce airport slot auctions at New York's three major airports were an "ideological, repugnant experiment coming from someone sitting in an invory tower".
The DOT recently announced plans to auction slots at John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Newark Liberty and LaGuardia as part of its wider efforts to combat growing airspace congestion. The idea is that airlines auctioning off a number of their take-off and landing slot rights would boost competition and increase investment which directed into improving airport facilities.
However, Schumer disagrees. He told Congress: "Auctions have no proven track record of working. They have never been tried in any U.S. airport, nor have they been tried at any airport in the world. In fact, the entire plan is modelled after London's road congestion pricing plan".
Airport Slot Auction Plan
Schumer is that opposed to the DOT's plan that he yesterday introduced a Bill to try and block the federal government introducing the airport slot auction plan moving forward.
Some House representatives went further, saying the plan to introduce the auctions was "illegal". The House Aviation Chairman, Jerry Costello, also commented: "The Federal Aviation Administration lacks the legal authority [to auction slots], and it's up to us to prevent them from going down this road".
Representatives from airlines and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey were also on hand to re-affirm their opposition to the airport slot plan.
William R. DeCota, the director of aviation at the Port Authority, said: "The Administration has chosen to impose an approach that we, as the airport operator, think is not only illegal but also disastrous; that the vast majority of the carriers...are opposed to; and that consumers, represented by such groups as the Air Travelers Association and the Business Travelers Coalition, believe will ultimately harm rather than help them".
DeCota questioned whether the government had the authority to hold auctions without getting Congressional approval first. He said: "Nowhere in the Federal Aviation Act is there a declaration that slots are property and nowhere is there the authorization to auction or lease slots for monetary compensation there from".
New York Airport Plan
Schumer argued that the DOT and FAA's New York airport plan should concentrate on other areas. He said there should be a focus "on real, tested solutions" to improve congestion, such as "upgrading decades-old technology and hiring an adequate number of controllers to staff New York's towers".
The Senator claimed that New York JFK's control tower "is only 60% staffed", and that the FAA should be making improvements to retain air traffic controllers as part of its efforts to relieve congestion.
Schumer added: "If the DOT and FAA. on't take steps upgrade the technology, improve capacity at New York's airports and hire, train and retain more full-time controllers, we are going to see a complete meltdown in the skies over New York".
Source - Airport International's US Correspondent
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