Clinton Acts to Battle Flight Delays

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Dateline: 12/08/00

President Clinton will soon hand over the keys to Air Force One and join the rest of us sleeping in airports while waiting for flights long delayed by an aging air traffic control system.

Unlike us, however, Mr. Clinton can do something about it.

On Dec. 7, 2000 Clinton issued an Executive Order creating the Air Traffic Performance-Based Organization to be known as the ATO.

The ATO will be a semi-independent federal agency, not unlike the U.S. Postal Service, headed up by five representatives from business and labor.

According to this White House report released in conjunction with the Executive Order, the White House states flight delays have increased by over 58 percent since 1995, with flight cancellations up 68 percent over the same period. The cost to the airlines and passengers is estimated to be more than $5 billion a year.

The report also accuses the airlines of attempting to make their on-time records appear better by the practice of "padding" published schedules. Cited is one major carrier that schedules 75 minutes for a flight between Washington, D.C. and Newark, New Jersey, a trip that takes only 37 minutes.

Attempting to reduce delays be forcing airlines to schedule more flights at off-peak travel hours, Clinton ordered the FAA and Department of Transportation to consider and implement a plan to charge airlines more for landing at airports during peak travel hours. Landing fees are currently determined only by the weight of the airplane.

Clinton also called on Congress to drop the tax paid by passengers to help fund the air traffic control system, replacing the funds with user fees to be paid directly by commercial airlines.

Needless to say, that idea has already been criticized by the airline industry, and even by some consumer advocates who fear the airlines will simply pass the fees on to passengers through higher ticket prices. The proposal faces a rocky road in the post-presidential election Congress.

The Clinton Administration hopes the ATO, as a semi-governmental agency, will be able to use private sector tools to streamline and increase the efficiency of the air traffic control system. For example, the ATO's chief operating officer will be chosen through a nationwide competitive search, rather than being a government appointee.

The White House calls for Congress to allow the ATO to borrow money from the U.S. Treasury or from private sources in order to finance the replacement and upgrade of existing air traffic control computer, radar, traffic balancing software and related equipment.

Commenting on the White House action, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater stated, "There is no short term fix but clearly what the president has proposed today will take us a long way."

More News Flying:
In a related story, the FAA on Friday, Dec. 8, ordered America West Airlines to to implement a plan for upgrading its maintenance and safety programs by "early next year." America West is the nation's ninth largest commercial passenger carrier.