The successful implementation last year for airlines to use military airspace along the East Coast to expand the airspace – the so-called Holiday Express Lanes – have been expanded to include the Midwest, the Southwest, and the West Coast, including the skies over Phoenix and Los Angeles. The announcement came yesterday from President Bush in his remarks to DOT employees. The initiatives also include working with the FAA, the TSA, and the airlines to make more staff available to speed check-in and boarding, and to help passengers affected by cancellations and delays.
“During my time in office, or our time in office, we have put regulations in place to make airlines more accountable for the way they treat passengers,” he said. “In other words, we have done this kind of regulatory regime before -- notably doubling the fine airlines pay for bumping travelers off of overbooked flights. Our message is: We will hold you to account. The consumers will hold you to account, but we have a responsibility in government, as well, to help our air travelers.”