As the lone regional airline representation on the Aviation Rulemaking Committee on delay reductions, Regional Airline Association President Roger Cohen said he has grown horse in fighting back any suggestion that would hurt regionals. This gives new meaning to Cohen’s recent statement that mainline carriers have thrown their regional partners under a bus. It also gives new urgency to Pinnacle Chair Phil Trenary’s observation that RJ scheduling is not the problems so much as scheduling 50 flights a day to every Florida point. Related Story
Now Bloomberg is reporting that the Department of Transportation will impose as auction system to cut delays at New York area airports, which would supposedly give airlines a financial incentive to cut aircraft movements and schedule during off-peak hours. Bloomberg quoted DOT General Counsel DJ Gribbin as say airlines would bid on takeoff and landing slots at all three New York airports in one option under consideration. DOT wants airlines to consolidate flights and shift them to off-peak hours. While auctions are definitely on the table so is just about everything else, most of which would have a negative impact on regionals.
Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters is scheduled to report the department’s plans to stem congestion and delays on Monday although calls to DOT yielded little in the way of concrete information on what the department plans.