US airports may be allowed to charge higher landing fees to airlines at busy times of the day.

The US Transportation Department announced on 14th January that it wants to revise its policy for landing fees, and instead base them on the times flights arrive and depart.

In what has been described by US media as "congestion pricing" for airports and airlines, the policy - if approved - would mean US airports would be able to vary the landing fees they charge to operators.

Specifically, it would allow them to increase fees at peak times of aircraft movement. Currently, airports base landing fees on the weight of aircraft.

Announcing the move, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said the policy is intended to help ease delays and congestion at US airports.

She added that the revised plans could help airport operators to raise funding for future development projects without incurring debt.

The plans will now enter a six-week consultation period.

Airlines Opposed to Landing Fees Plan

According to sources from the Reuters and Associated Press agencies, the Transportation Department's announcement was greeted with opposition from airlines. The agencies said that airlines want regulators at the Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration to focus on improving air traffic control.

Some industry analysts commented that, if the plans were approved, airlines would end up passing the fees onto passengers in the form of higher ticket prices.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Port Authority, which operates the three New York airports (John F. Kennedy International, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty), was lukewarm in its reaction to the announcement.

A Port Authority statement said: "These small steps don't address the fundamental problem [the delays] when dramatic action is needed. The right solution is expanding capacity through 21st century technologies, working with the airlines on more rational schedules and better customer service."

JFK Flight Caps

The Port Authority's lukewarm reaction to the Transportation Department's proposal comes in the wake of their disapproval for the so-called "flight caps" that will operating at John F. Kennedy International from March.

The Transportation Department announced in December that "flight caps" - or restrictions on the number of hourly flights - would be introduced at JFK to help ease congestion at peak times. As we reported last month, this was a move that the Port Authority did not welcome.

Industry analysts say the plan to introduce flexible landing fees is a conscious attempt by the Transportation Department to complement the "flight caps" scheme by providing a further method of reducing delays at airports.

During 2007, airports in the US recorded their worst ever delays. Over three-quarters of these delays were recorded at the New York airports.

Source - Airport International's US Correspondent

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