FAA reduces flights at LaGuardia

U.S. aviation authorities have announced that they will be reducing the number of flights permitted to land and take off at LaGuardia Airport, in an attempt to stem the worst delays at a major airport in the country.

Mary Peters, the transportation secretary, said on Monday that the government would be lowering the cap on flights at LaGuardia from 75 down to 71 per hour.

In terms of on-time arrival performance, LaGuardia ranks last in a field of 32 major airports in the U.S. The current federal administration had been planning to auction off some of the airport slots in the New York City area, but courts put an end to that approach.

Peters, in announcing the reductions at LaGuardia, called the delays at that airport “the worst of the worst.”

The new cap, which is expected to be achieved by voluntary cooperation of the airlines, is a last-ditch effort by the departing Bush administration to reduce national flight delays.

Authorities have been focused on the three major New York City area airports as two-thirds of the country’s delays are attributed to backups in New York.

D.J. Gribbin, a lawyer for the transportation department, called the opposition of slot auctions by the airlines and airports “unfortunate.”

“Gridlock in D.C. should not result in gridlock over the skies of New York,” said Gribbin. “We can still take the first step toward restoring reliable air service to LaGuardia.”

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