Feds set NYC air slot auction

Washington —- Federal officials are pushing ahead with an experiment to reduce rampant flight delays around the nation by auctioning off takeoff and landing times at New York-area airports, where most delays begin.

Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced final rules to begin auctioning takeoff and landing slots at John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports. Roughly two-thirds of flight delays around the country are caused by backups at those airports.

“Without slot auctions, a small number of airlines will profit while travelers bear the brunt of higher fares, fewer choices and deteriorating service,” Peters said in a statement Thursday.

She said the government will gradually auction up to 10 percent of the landing and takeoff slots at the airports. The plan has drawn loud opposition in Congress, where lawmakers contend it will make things worse for the traveling public by increasing costs and reducing the number of flights to small or midsize cities.

Airlines and airports are trying to stop the auction plan in court.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which has been expanding its hub at JFK, said in a written statement that the Department of Transportation “has usurped Congress’ authority and abandoned its legal obligation,” adding that the slot auction “detracts from the mission of improving service for customers across the Northeast.”

Peters also announced plans to spend $89 million on taxiway improvements at Kennedy Airport and reduce the number of hourly takeoffs and landings at LaGuardia from 75 to 71. Peters said the change at LaGuardia should cut flight delays there by 40 percent.

Federal transportation officials say much of the reason for nationwide flight delays is that airlines have tried to cram too many planes onto New York runways. To fix that, they have capped the number of flights coming into or out of those airports, and now intend to auction off a fraction of those coveted slots.