The US Department of Transport’s Federal Aviation Administration has said it plans to work with carriers to voluntarily reduce scheduled operations at New York’s LaGuardia airport from 75 to 71 per hour.

The airlines and the public will have 10 days to comment on the proposal, which plans for the new lowered cap to take effect in April, 2009, and last through to October.

US transportation secretary Mary Peters said: “We are taking this short-term step because passengers deserve our best efforts to fix the problem of New York aviation delays,” she said.

Earlier this month, the US Court of Appeals ruled on the motions for a stay of the DOT’s proposed auction rules – a move that was welcomed by the Air Transport Association, Continental Airlines and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. This prohibited the DOT from auctioning slots at the three major New York airports unless and until the court formally considers and rules on the merits of the case.

Source: Routes News