PE.com - Tourism Blog

Bush Opens Heavens for Airlines

(The Charlotte Observer, Jason E. Miczek)

Traveling the friendly skies this Thanksgiving could be less of a chore. President Bush announced Thursday that he would open up the military's airspace from Maine to Florida to make more room for more flights. The president also touted the FAA's Web site which tracks delays at the country's airports. I've been less than impressed with it in the past but now looks like the info has been souped up. LA/Ontario International Airport and Palm Springs International Airport may not be visible on the map but search by the airport codes up top (ONT and PSP) and info on flight delays will pop up.

Here's what else Bush had to say during a press conference (commentary in parenthesis is my own):

"There are a lot of people worried about traveling because they've had unpleasant experiences ... Airports are very crowded, travelers are being stranded and flights have been delayed sometimes with a full load of passengars sitting on the runway for hours. (zing! That's you JetBlue) These failures are carrying some real costs for the country (some would say missing a family gathering isn't always costly. Not me though. Hi mom! Hi dad!)"

Bush also said the airlines would:
- increase staff
- set seats aside for folks who may end up on cancelled flights
- bring in more ticket counters and stairs (although I'm not entirely certain how having more mobile stairs on the tarmac makes a big difference)

By next summer, airlines may also end up paying higher penalties to passengers bounced from their flights -- now $400 it could increase up to $800. Also, Bush encouraged "congestion pricing" by eventually forcing airlines to pay higher landing fees during peak times. That could be good news for some airports like Ontario and Palm Springs which aim to get new airlines to land there by possibly dropping the fee entirely as an incentive. Bush also said airlines could eventually be forced to bid for prime take off and landing times, a test of a free market for sure.

Will it work? We'll see.