US airlines reiterate plea against airport auctions
24 Jan 2009
United States-based airlines have asked the Barack Obama administration to withdraw a government plan to auction takeoff and landing rights at New York-area airports. The chief lobbying group for the major carriers asked Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to swiftly rescind last year's Bush administration initiative, which was aimed at boosting competition and reducing congestion.
"As you noted at your confirmation hearing, auctioning slots does not make sense as a tool to address congestion," James May, chief executive of the Air Transport Association of America, said in a letter to LaHood dated January 22.
May urged LaHood to act before further litigation on the matter. Airlines sued to block the auctions on grounds the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lacked the authority to carry them out. A US appeals court stayed the auction plan last month pending further court review.
The Bush administration had sought to sell up to 10 per cent of rights for takeoffs and landings at LaGuardia and John F Kennedy airports in New York, and Newark in New Jersey, as a way to streamline operations and facilitate new services.
The three airports, all popular with business travellers, are among the worst airports in the US for delays and congestion. Airlines tend to pack their schedules and run many flights with feeder aircraft, especially at LaGuardia. The tie-ups add millions of dollars annually in industry operating costs, and tend to ripple across the country and affect flights in other cities.
US Airways Group, Delta Air Lines, Continental Airlines Inc, American Airlines, a unit of AMR Corp, and United Airlines, a unit of UAL Corp, all have hubs or other operations at one or more of the three airports.
