Schumer-Backed Legislation Clears Senate: Bill Will Provide Boost to Regional Airport Service, Reduce Delays, Help Create Jobs and Stimulate Local Economies

Press Release

FAA Reauthorization Bill That Passed The Senate Today Includes An Additional $73 Million To Support Essential Air Services Program That Is Critical to Commercial Air Service In Underserved Rural Communities Across NY and Country

Bill Moves NextGen Project Forward That Will Cut Airport Delays By Over 20%, Resulting In Over 22,000 Fewer Delays Per Year In NY

Schumer: The Bill Passed Today Will Improve Access To Air Travel Throughout Upstate New York, Create Jobs, And Boost Local Economies

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill has passed the Senate. This important legislation will help reduce flight delays across New York and provide an additional $73 million in Essential Air Service (EAS) funding, which will improve access to air travel at regional airports throughout New York, providing a boost to tourism and local economies. Not only does the EAS program provide air services to underserved rural communities, but it is an economic engine in those regions, contributing to the success of local businesses and promoting job creation and growth. The FAA bill will also help modernize air traffic control systems, moving away from the current ground-based technology towards global positioning system (GPS) technology. Thanks to improved accuracy, the GPS systems will allow more planes to take off and land closer together while simultaneously making the skies safer. The net result will be a 21% cut in the number of maddening flight delays that cost New York State critical business and tourism dollars every single day.

"This bill will be a boon for Upstate New York, helping to create jobs and jump-start the local economies around our regional airports," said Schumer. "Thanks to new radar technology and Essential Air Services funding, New York airports will be better equipped to receive tourists and business travel. Without these programs, New Yorkers would be cut off from air travel to all parts of the country and to the world. Instead, thanks to today's bill, tourists, business travelers, and families will find it easier to access air travel at New York's regional airports, and they'll find friendlier skies with fewer delays."

Essential Air Services funding provides critical subsidies to support commercial air service to underserved rural communities across the country. In New York, there are six rural airports dependent on the EAS program for their survival that could receive a boost thanks to the increase in EAS:

* Jamestowncurrently receives $1,350,803

* Watertown currently receives $1,228,334

* Massenacurrently receives $1,297,613

* Ogdensburgcurrently receives $1,353,916

* Plattsburghcurrently receives $1,379,257

* Saranac Lake and Lake Placidcurrently receives $ 1,366,538.

The Essential Air Service program was developed after the airline industry was deregulated in 1978. Deregulation gave airlines the freedom to decide which markets to serve and how much to charge for that service. This led to a scarcity of air service in many rural communities across the country where operating costs were higher and populations were smaller and less dense. The EAS program was put in to place to guarantee air service to these underserved communities. EAS provides subsidies to commuter airlines across the country to serve approximately 140 rural communities, including seven communities in Upstate New York.

Without EAS, there would likely be no scheduled air service to Jamestown, Watertown, Massena, Ogdensburg, Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. New Yorkers in those regions would be forced to travel long distances to access air service, and elimination of the program would also eliminate hundreds of jobs and harm local businesses that rely on air service for their success.

The NextGen Initiative, a key part of the FAA reauthorization legislation, is a nationwide project designed to update the National Airspace System from a ground-based system of air traffic control to a satellite-based system utilizing GPS technology. Created in 2004 by former Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, the program was designed to combat the problems associated with an air traffic control system based on outdated radar technology, voice communications, and poor weather forecasting. The FAA reauthorization bill will help streamline the implementation of NextGen, improve accountability, and increase the speed at which technological upgrades will be made.

NextGen will also incorporate the latest in weather forecasting and digital communications technology to allow pilots and air traffic controllers to react more quickly to changing flight conditions. The increased accuracy of air traffic control systems will allow planes to take off and land more closely together, allow pilots to chart more direct routes to their destinations, reduce fuel consumption, and increase safety. Business representatives and tourists traveling to and from New York State will be able to better plan their visits as air travel becomes more predictable and reliable. NextGen will help reduce instances of last minute cancellations and being stuck on runways without an indication of whether the flight will take off or simply be cancelled.

Over the next ten years, the FAA estimates that air traffic will increase by about two percent every year. In addition to putting a burden on ground operations and airports, the increased air traffic could result in more air traffic jams. Nearly every other developed country outside of the United States utilizes GPS technology to help alleviate the burden on air traffic controllers and to streamline arrivals and departures. If airports across the state fail to implement this technology, the increased air travel could put an even greater strain on the overall system, resulting in missed opportunities to bring new business and tourism activity to New York State. NextGen's technology upgrades will allow New York airports to absorb and handle increased traffic, inviting more companies to do business in the Empire State and tourists to visit attractions across the state.

NextGen will also reduce the environmental impact of increased air traffic. By allowing more efficient and direct routes, NextGen will save fuel and reduce pollution, as well as reduce noise pollution in communities close to airports. Airplanes will be able to take more direct routes to the runways, and will be less likely to circle airports as they wait for runways to open up thanks to the GPS technology.

The NextGen Initiative will help reduce delays at airports across the state.

Here is how many fewer flights will be delayed per year in each region across Upstate New York:

* In Western New York, at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport, 1,679 fewer flights will be delayed per year.

* In the Capital Region, at Albany International Airport, 781 fewer flights will be delayed per year.

* In the Rochester-Finger Lakes Region, at the Greater Rochester International Airport, 900 fewer flights will be delayed per year.

* In the Southern Tier, between the Greater Binghamton Airport, Elmira-Corning Regional Airport, and Ithaca-Tompkins Regional Airport, 171 fewer flights will be delayed.

* In Central New York, at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, 797 fewer flights will be delayed.

* In the Hudson Valley, between Stewart Airport and Westchester County Airport, 916 fewer flights will be delayed.

In addition to reducing flight delays, the bill will also increase access to air travel for rural communities, ensuring that rural residents have affordable options to travel around the country. Although Congress has successfully passed 17 short-term extensions of the FAA authorization, the current bill serves as a permanent fix creating long-term stability, increased safety for passengers, and new jobs in the airline industry.

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