NY, NJ Senators Announce Senate Passage of Legislation to Reduce Flight Delays in New York/New Jersey Airspace Region

Legislation Included in FY 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill; Amendments Require Bush Administration to Develop Plan to Ease Congestion in NY/NJ/Philly Airspace

December 19, 2007 -- Washington, DC – New Jersey and New York’s U.S. Senators announced today that the Senate has approved two measures they authored to reduce flight delays and ease congestion in the New York/New Jersey airspace as part of the Fiscal Year 2008 Omnibus Appropriations Bill.

One amendment would require the federal government to provide a plan to Congress to reduce flight delays in the New York/New Jersey/Pennsylvania Region, the nation’s most densely congested airspace. The other amendment requires the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, to investigate the Administration’s Airspace Redesign Plan, as well as the effectiveness of a variety of approaches used nationwide to reduce flight delays.

The Senators called for action after record airport delays this summer and amid major concerns that the Federal Aviation Administration’s announced Airspace Redesign for the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia area will increase aircraft noise while providing only minimal delay reductions.

Having been approved by the Senate, the bill will now go before the House for final passage before being sent the President for signature.

“Even with the FAA thankfully becoming much more active on this issue recently, we need the type of detailed, well-researched information these reports will produce regarding the best ways to cut down the excruciating delays,” said Senator Menendez. “Until delays have actually been minimized, we cannot stop searching for answers. I will also be eager to see the results of an independent review of the airspace redesign scheduled to be implemented this week, which promises to turn up the noise level for New Jersey residents but might only have a marginal effect on delays.”

“We need real solutions to give travelers relief from the constant flight delays and cancellations that plague our region,” said Senator Lautenberg. “Our aviation system is a mess and the Bush Administration’s proposed fixes continue to fall short. The Administration’s plans would raise fares, create more aircraft noise in more neighborhoods and could even worsen delays. Our sensible legislation is a needed reality check to improve air travel in our region and nationwide.”

“From delays on the ground to congestion in the air to excessive noise overhead, problems continue to plague our air transportation system. This measure will at last force the Administration to address these failures and take needed steps to make our skies safer and reduce frustrating delays for air travelers. This is an important step in rectifying this situation,” said Senator Clinton.

"These amendments are an important step toward forcing the administration to take a long, hard look at the chaos in our skies, and to produce real recommendations to ensure that our congested aviation system receives some real relief,” said Senator Schumer.

Details of the FAA Plan amendment

Specifically, the amendment requires the Secretary of Transportation to submit to Congress a report detailing how the Federal Aviation Administration plans to alleviate air congestion and flight delays in the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Airspace by August 31, 2008. The report would have to be submitted no later than 120 days after the enactment of the legislation.

Details of the GAO amendment

The measure directs the GAO to conduct a study of the efficacy of various approaches used in the past by the FAA and the DOT to address delays at our nation's airports. Within 120 days of enactment, the GAO is to report which strategies have worked best to comprehensively reduce flight delays at an airport within 6 months or less. Specifically, the GAO is instructed to examine efforts by the FAA to induce voluntary schedule reductions at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the FAA's mandatory flight reduction operations at LaGuardia International Airport and Reagan National Airport, the New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Airspace Redesign and any other significant efforts by the FAA or the DOT to reduce flight delays at a major U.S. international airport.

Source: Senator Hillary Clinton

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