When Bush gets tired of the war, of the eternal battle for who's right and who's wrong when it comes to the Afghanistan and Iraq, he gets involved with the airports delays. It is for the second time since September when he steps out and orders the Transportation Department and the Federal Aviation Administration to come up with solutions in order to solve the congestion of the air traffic. No other president has ever intervened in such a problem and many aviation experts believe it has only long-term solutions. Pentagon will offer two air corridors off the eastern seaboard that are normally restricted to military flights to commercial flights, creating a Thanksgiving express lane from 4 p.m. EST Wednesday through Sunday. Bush said that the stranded passengers, crowded airports and flight delays are proving to be very expensive both for businesses and people who will miss family gatherings. If the representatives of business such as airlines and airports were thrilled by Bush action, air traffic controllers and pilots say that it's drastic and they are not able to handle it. However, the Democrats in Congress appreciated it, although they reserved comments because it came too late according to Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill., House aviation subcommittee chairman, while the average American traveling through one of the main chokepoints, New Jersey's Newark Liberty International Airport, the decision is ineffective due to the fact that the problem is the airport personal efficiency. Airports executives are also coming with solutions on Capitol Hill like reducing overbooking during the holidays and adding ticketing staff, while for stranded people they will offer places to sleep, including cots, and food and water. Moreover, Nancy Kalinowski, systems operations vice president at the FAA said that Pentagon offer means New York passengers will be able to get out quicker, especially if the East Coast is hit by bad weather, and that means 75 percent of the nation's air traffic delays will be solved. From Bush's solutions many will be effective for Christmas, while some short-term like doubling the penalties airlines have to pay passengers bumped from overbooked flights will take place next summer. His FAA reauthorization bill, which would finance a multibillion-dollar modernizing of air traffic control by replacing radars with global positioning satellites, is on the Congress list to be passed. The short-term solutions include a holiday moratorium on nonessential maintenance projects (its personnel and equipment will be focused on keeping flights on time); new runway use patterns New York's Kennedy International allowing four to six more planes to arrive each hour; a FAA Web site, http://www.Fly.FAA.Gov providing up-to-date information about airport delays. Also The Transportation Department proposed new fines for travelers with tickets but no seat from $200 for those delayed less than two hours and $400 for those who wait more than two hours to $400 and $800. Meantime Transportation Secretary Peters acknowledged airlines would pass along to passengers some of the costs of the higher fees and penalties, but also adds that passenger already lose money due to the eternal delays.
Written by Claudia Sonea Edited by Zuzana Tylkova
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