While airport delays may seem like just an inconvenience for travelers, Senator Charles Schumer released a report yesterday saying that they actually cost the United States economy billions of dollars.
Schumer’s report found flight delays last year at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, and Newark airports added up to $5 billion in lost productivity, cancelled vacations, and higher gas prices.
The report — based on figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation — found that nationwide, delays cost the U.S. economy $41 billion.
Schumer is proposing legislation to permanently open military airspace. He also wants the government to give New York’s air czar more funding and staff, and he’s pushing for a task force to address flight cancellations.
(Source: NY1)
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2 Responses
There are easy solutions build a new runway at EWR, and JFK. (no room for one at LGA), allow for flights to land and take off later at night, and earlier in the morning. But I guess, he is scared to propose that, what will the neighbors say. Politcians, looking for the easy way out, blame the Feds and military…
No room for a new runway at EWR either. If they did, it would be called Runway 95 (New Jersey Turnpike). That being said, they could ($$$$) construct a new runway and move the turnpike under ground for a stretch.
I have a better idea. I dont get why they dont make use of both north/south runways when they are able. It seems they could easily have planes taking off on both runways when there are no planes landing and vice versa. I dont recall a single time in the last 10 years where I have taken off from the outer runway and I only recall one time landing on the inner runway.