Skies over New York remain gridlocked

Business traveller Jerry Green loves New York. It’s the flying in and out of there that drives him crazy.

 By Charisse Jones, USA Today

"I’ve had incredible delays," says Green, a consultant from St. Petersburg, Fla., who visits New York on business at least eight times a year. "I remember one night we didn’t get there until 3 a.m., and I had to be in front of a customer at 8. I travel everywhere, every week, and it’s the only place I go that I truly dread."

For airlines, the skies over the New York City metropolitan area are the most sought after in the U.S. - and the most crowded. With roughly a third of all flights in the United States flying to, from or through the New York area, congestion there can lead to rippling delays that ground planes and frustrate passengers from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C.

Recognizing the critical role New York plays, federal and local officials are taking a series of steps to keep air traffic moving. New flight lanes are being carved in the skies, runways are being widened and limits are maintained on the number of flights that can take off and land at the region’s three major airports: LaGuardia, JFK and Newark.

Work also continues on the satellite-based navigation system known as NextGen that’s ultimately supposed to make room for more planes to fly safely in tight space across the nation’s air traffic network.

"We’re a place people want to visit, we’re a place where people want to do business," says Susan Baer, aviation director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the three major airports. "There’s a lot going on in a very limited space. There are things that we’ve done that have made a fference and that we’ll continue to do to make a difference."

Despite the efforts, LaGuardia, JFK and Newark registered some of the highest rates of delays in the country last year. LaGuardia and JFK sit so close to each other that the takeoffs and landings at one can affect departures and arrivals at the other. And unlike their counterparts in places such as Dallas/Fort Worth or Denver, the New York airports have no real room to expand, meaning, some industry experts say, New York’s gridlock won’t disappear any time soon.

There’s been progress, says Stephen Van Beek of LeighFisher, a management consulting firm specializing in transportation. "But suffice it to say that New York in particular, because of its incredible level of demand, (and) shortage of capacity, you’re dealing with a structural issue that’s not going away."

Every day, within 24 kilometres of the Statue of Liberty, roughly 4,100 flights make their way toward their destinations, according to the Port Authority.

For U.S. airlines, the New York metro area is the biggest moneymaker and most popular starting point and destination in the country. In 2010, U.S. carriers took in roughly $16 billion from flights to and from New York - more than twice the revenue made from flights to and from Chicago, the next-largest market, says Steve Lott, spokesman for Airlines for America, the airline industry’s trade group.

New York also is a key portal for the all-important business traveller, who tends to spend more to fly at the last moment, often in the more expensive business or first class. "It represents one of the biggest propositions for business travellers who tend to generate a revenue premium," Lott says. "That’s why it’s important."

In a play for the lucrative customers, Delta announced in December that it would beef up its presence at LaGuardia, turning it into a new domestic hub. The world’s second-biggest carrier will be flying more than 100 new flights and heading to 29 new destinations by July after swapping take-off and landing slots with U.S. Airways which, in turn, will increase service at Reagan Washington’s National.

"Our customers ... want lots of service to New York," says Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter. "That meant having service to as many cities as it made sense to serve non-stop and it also meant having a large presence at LaGuardia, because, particularly for the business travellers, that is the most convenient airport."

But the heavy demand for a stake in the New York region has led to congestion. When combined with bad weather, which is the primary cause of delays, flights can be thrown off schedule from coast to coast.

Last year, JFK, LaGuardia and Newark ranked among the bottom of 29 major U.S. airports for having flights land on time. Through November, the last month for which the Transportation Department has totals, Newark was the worst, with 34% of its flights landing late. The best was Salt Lake City, where 13% arrived late. The three airports’ record for having flights take off on time isn’t much better. Newark again ranked last, with more than a quarter of its flights, 27%, taking off late.

Delays in the New York area are currently responsible for roughly 33% of the flight hold-ups across the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration says.

"We’re pushing as much capacity as we can through congested facilities," Van Beek, the transportation consultant, says. "Bad weather, a maintenance issue, a deer on the runway - anytime one of those things happens, it’s almost like a hair trigger we have to getting into congestion and delays. We have very little buffer to protect us."

Green, the frequent business traveller, says he once had to cancel a business meeting in Manhattan because of an air traffic jam that left him waiting hours to take off from Chicago’s O’Hare airport.

"There was delay, delay, delay," Green recalled. "I can’t afford to be showing up late when I’m charging people these fees."

Green says he often takes an earlier flight Sunday to avoid a flight that could be tardy, making him late for a Monday morning presentation in New York. And he occasionally bypasses New York airports altogether, flying into Philadelphia or Baltimore and hopping an Amtrak train to Manhattan.

"It’s pretty extreme, but I’ve done it," Green says of flying into Baltimore to take a train. "You’ve still got two more hours before you get to New York, but what the heck. You’ll probably be delayed two hours any way you slice it."

Airlines don’t like delays either, Lott says.

"When airplanes are sitting on the ground, they’re not making money," he says. "There is no silver-bullet fix for the congestion faced in New York airports. Our hope is to keep the ball moving forward ... to push the FAA to keep the momentum going on these incremental improvements, because the airlines that have big operations in New York airports know even small improvements can yield not only customer service benefits, but financial savings, as well."

Congestion has been recognized as a major problem in New York since the 1960s. The FAA has long capped the number of flights allowed to take off and land. The current cap, 71 scheduled flights per hour during peak times at LaGuardia, and 81 per hour at Newark and JFK, are in effect until October 2013.

Because of the limits, Delta’s new flights at LaGuardia will fill spots vacated by US Airways. Delta also will operate larger planes than the turboprops flown by US Airways. Carrying more passengers in fewer aircraft will free air space, airline and industry observers say.

The FAA also has begun untangling the routes in the air. In October, it created a new lane that separates traffic flying from Europe through New England and toward Washington, D.C., from New York-area traffic heading elsewhere. Federal officials also have created more paths to the higher altitudes that jets fly from New York to the western part of the U.S.

Redesigning the air space will save roughly 12 million minutes of delay each year and cut carriers’ fuel costs by $285 million, the FAA says.

Other changes have been made to battle gridlock on the ground.

A runway at JFK that is one of the longest in North America was widened and rebuilt in 2010. A ground management program put in place while the runway was closed will be expanded to LaGuardia and later, Newark, the Port Authority’s Baer says. The program reduces the number of planes left idling on a taxiway because of a delayed takeoff, allowing passengers to wait in the gate area.

The Port Authority also is trying to steer traffic away from the major hubs. It’s talking to several international low-cost carriers about flying into the smaller Stewart International airport about 60 miles north of Manhattan in Westchester County, N.Y. An expansion of its terminal is scheduled to begin in a year.

"About 10 million people live within one hour’s drive of Stewart," Baer says. "We’re hoping to continue to grow passenger traffic there to serve that region and provide a reasonable alternative."

The major airports cannot grow much more. They’re surrounded by water and developed land. But the Port Authority is studying adding more runways. One option might be tearing down outdated buildings to make space, Baer says.

Others in the travel industry say there are other steps that could be taken, not the least of which is further shrinking the number of flights.

"The problem is not going to be solved until or unless these schedules are going to be reduced," says Kevin Mitchell, head of the Business Travel Coalition, which represents business travel managers.

The airlines and airports disagree.

"Capping demand is not the right long-term strategy," says Lott of the airlines trade group. "Instead we should look for ways to expand capacity and efficiency."

Cutting flights could also ding the wallets of passengers and New York-area residents, Baer says. The airports spark $60 billion in economic activity a year and 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, she says.

Low-cost carriers such as Southwest and Jet Blue only minimally serve the area now, Baer says. Reducing the number of slots would make it harder for new carriers to grab a foothold in the market.

High-speed trains along the East Coast could help clear the skies, says Adie Tomer, a senior research analyst at the Brookings Institution who studies aviation and other modes of travel.

"We need to think about how we invest in other modes of transportation so they can complement the aviation system," says Tomer. High-speed rail service along the East Coast "could get even more flights out of the air," Tomer says. "It’s definitely something that’s an alternative."

Ultimately, many in the travel industry are banking on NextGen to have the greatest effect on congestion. The "Next Generation" of air traffic control, satellites and global positioning will replace radar to direct flights, allowing planes to take more direct routes and fly closer together in tight air space.

Pieces of the system have been put in place. But the full roll-out, along with equipping control towers and planes, will take several more years and millions of dollars in investment by taxpayers and the airlines.

Source:  http://www.montrealgazette.com