Congestion Pricing Threatens 100 Communities

Nearly four months after DOT announced in December that it intended to impose congestion pricing rules, the Regional Airline Association said the proposal threatens air service at more than 100 airports and countless other communities. Rather than threaten air service, DOT should be concentrating on fixing...

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Nearly four months after DOT announced in December that it intended to impose congestion pricing rules, the Regional Airline Association said the proposal threatens air service at more than 100 airports and countless other communities. Rather than threaten air service, DOT should be concentrating on fixing the root cause and ‘focus its resources on fixing the nation’s aging and inadequate air traffic control and airport infrastructure, not on reducing or virtually eliminating the flights offered by regional airlines that support the citizens and businesses in these communities,” said RAA.
The resulting dramatic fare increases would compound the rising fuel costs which have complicated the fortunes of all airlines and led to the wholesale withdrawal of airlines willing to serve small communities especially those in the essential air service program. Medium and small communities have already lost a great deal of air service over the last decade as rising operational costs brought on by the single-level-of-safety rule forced many airlines to abandon points that had been profitably served. Related Story
Using Official Airline Guide Data, the RAA identified 100 airports at the greatest risk under the proposal, with as many as 450 other airports at significant risk of losing air service. Dozens more airports could suffer diminished service and decreased competition under the proposal. DOT’s proposal allows airports to use a two-part formula for structuring landing fees based on aircraft weight plus a per-operation charge rather than the standard weight-based fees. Related Story
The goal is to increase fees for smaller aircraft flights serving the most popular airports at the most convenient times, thereby threatening small and medium-sized communities with dramatic fare increases and air service losses. The FAA has been attacking the use of small regional jets for some time. Related Story  However, RAA defended the aircraft saying congestion had more to do with the dozens of New York-Florida flights than regional jets. In fact, it pointed out that narrowbodies were growing faster at congested airports than were regional jets. Related Story
RAA was sharply critical of the proposal, calling it “congestion pricing in sheep’s clothing,” and cautioned the proposal would “disenfranchise travelers connecting to and from America’s smaller communities.”
“DOT’s proposal deals a punch to the gut to 450 communities, which rely on smaller, regional aircraft for their sole source of scheduled air service,” said RAA President Roger Cohen. “Some 70 percent of U.S. airports have flights only on regional airliners, and the DOT policy is designed to make it more expensive, maybe even impossible, for passengers in these communities to continue to access the nation’s hub airports and business centers.
“This new DOT proposal fails to address the root causes of congestion and delays at our nation’s larger airports and fails to provide a long-term solution,” added Cohen. “All it does is choke-off service to the communities which rely on regional aircraft to connect them with the rest of the world.”