With FAA Rule Protecting Upstate Air Service Into LaGuardia Set to Expire in January, Schumer Gets FAA to Reaffirm Commitment to Maintain Upstate Air

With FAA Rule Protecting Upstate Air Service Into LaGuardia Set To Expire In January, Schumer Gets FAA To Reaffirm Commitment To Maintain Upstate Air Service

If Current Rule Reserving Slots For Short Distance Flights Expires, It Could Make It Harder For Airlines To Service Upstate Airports

Senator Urges Feds To Renew And Bolster Opportunities For Upstate New York Air Service

Schumer: FAA Rule Needs To Not Only Keep Upstate Flights Going, But Provide Ways For Them To Continue Growing In The Future

With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule protecting upstate New York air service into LaGuardia set to expire in January, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced today that he has received initial assurance from the FAA that they are committed to ensuring service to upstate communities. On Friday the FAA issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) to make changes to the High Density Rule, a regulation created for LaGuardia to cut down on delays. In a personal phone conversation with FAA Chief Marion C. Blakely, Schumer expressed the importance of protecting Upstate-to-LaGuardia travel options and Blakely, in response, committed to making this a FAA priority.

The High Density Rule limits flights into and out of LaGuardia and provides for a dedicated number of slots for shorter distance, commuter flights so that communities whose airports are not major hubs, such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, receive adequate air service. However, the NPRM proposes to eliminate the distinction between commuter and general slots. As a replacement, the NPRM proposes several options. Schumer today wrote a letter to the FAA reiterating the need to preserve Upstate New York air service and urging the FAA to implement a system that will protect and grow air travel opportunities for all New Yorkers.

"The FAA rule change needs to not only keep upstate flights going, but provide ways for them to continue growing in the future," Schumer said. "I've been fighting tooth and nail to increase low cost air service in upstate New York, and make our airports a hub for economic growth. One of the first things businesses look at when they consider moving to a new location is whether there are good air service options in the area. We need to be sure that air service upstate from LaGuardia is protected."

Under the current High Density Rule, the types of slots allocated are divided into two categories, Jet and Commuter. The distinction was made in order to protect regional and small community service. As time has gone by, the FAA has attempted to tweak the slot allotments in order to deal with increased traffic. Currently, the FAA allows approximately 75 flights out of LaGuardia every hour. In the NPRM, the FAA attempts to increase the size of aircraft used by carriers, which could threaten travel to small communities if other protections are not put in place.

However, the FAA presents several options in order to protect small community air travel, all of which offer 10 exempted flights per carrier. The first option would exempt flights to non-hub airports; the second option would exempt non-hub and small hub airports within 300 miles of LaGuardia; and the third option would exempt all non-hubs and small hubs. These exemptions would allow carriers to provide service to smaller communities without being forced to satisfy the larger size requirements. It is difficult to predict the number of commuter or regional flights that this would create because carriers have not yet bid on the new one-size-fits-all slots. All of upstate New York's airports would fall within this 300 mile perimeter. Schumer intends to comment on the overall rule change during the 90 day comment period, but wanted to reiterate now his full support for continuing service to upstate communities.

Schumer spoke to Marion C. Blakey, Administrator of the FAA, Friday morning, and reiterated his desire to protect upstate New York airports in a personal letter, "Providing air service to the communities of New York State is vital to commuters and travelers alike, and any regulations about LaGuardia should include provisions protecting that service… I want to be sure that the quality of service to communities in upstate New York only improves, and is not allowed to fall by the wayside."

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=262215&&year=2006&