NY Governor Paterson Statement Regarding Recent Action Creating Flight Auctions For Laguardia Airport

April 16, 2008 -- “Today's rules put forth by the Federal Department of Transportation (DOT), in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), were intended to be a step toward making air transportation more reliable and comfortable for passengers. But these rules are not the right solution, and, in the case of the auctioning of slots at LaGuardia, are woefully misguided.

Baggage area, Laguardia Airport: Photo by Sarah Gilbert (CC)

In an already difficult economic time, New Yorkers should not be made to shoulder added costs for air travel, and these auctions will increase the price of travel for the 26 million passengers who travel through LaGuardia each year. The last thing the New York economy needs is a blow to its business and tourism sectors by charging passengers more money to visit and do business in New York.

“While the DOT and FAA are making progress through recommendations, such as adding new lanes of air traffic, the LaGuardia auction plan is short-sighted and does not provide a real solution to the problems faced by the exhausted traveling public. The DOT’s ‘bumping rule,’ which would compensate passengers who are involuntarily bumped from flights and delayed, is a good step for passengers, but a stronger stand would be a comprehensive national Passenger Bill of Rights, proposed by New York and fought by the industry.

“I am calling on the Bush Administration to finally take the steps necessary to reduce delays by modernizing a decades-old air traffic control system and providing strong standards for better customer service for every passenger. It is time for the federal government to put the needs of the public ahead of profits, and I plan to provide more detailed remarks during this rule making process.”

Source: New York Governor