RAA Supports ATA Suit

In strongly worded statement supporting the Air Transport Association’s lawsuit aimed at blocking the Administration’s plan to auction off the nation’s airspace, RAA President Roger Cohen said major cities will be shut out of access to New York. Meanwhile New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg sent a letter to DOT Secretary Mary Peters and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Executive Director Christopher Ward, saying he wanted the pilot program on slots implemented. Bloomberg previously opposed the caps imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration on flights at the three New York City airports calling them ineffective and harmful to the New York economy..
“Someone has to stop the madness, and we hope the US Court of Appeals acts swiftly and decisively to prohibit this DOT scheme before only the rich and famous can fly into New York,” said Cohen. “Unless DOT gets stopped in its tracks, travelers from major cities such as Dayton, Indianapolis, Louisville, and Knoxville could get shut out of ever flying into the Big Apple, let alone the 70 percent of communities across the US whose only service is from regional airlines. RAA joins with ATA, our mainline partners, the general aviation community, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and most importantly, bipartisan majorities in Congress in strong opposition to the Administration’s plan.”