Crowley to FAA: 'Keep La Guardia Flight Controls In Place'
BY JOHN TOSCANO

As the deadline on a federal rule controlling flight schedules at La Guardia Airport approaches, Congressmember Joseph Crowley is exerting pressure on officials to extend the rule in the interests of passenger safety and anti-pollution considerations.

In a statement to the Gazette, the Queens/Bronx lawmaker and Elmhurst resident, stated: "Having lived in the shadow of La Guardia all my life and as the area's representative in Congress, I have been urging the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) to take action on the expiration of the High Density Rule."

The rule allows the FAA to set limits on the number of takeoffs and landings at La Guardia, one of the busiest airports in the nation.

If the rule is allowed to lapse, airlines will rush in to oversaturate the skies offer the Western Queens air facility.

Addressing this prospect, Crowley declared: "It is not in the interests of my constituents, the people of the tri-state area, or our nation's airways to see La Guardia go through the same delays and overuse as it did in 2000 when the High Density Rule was lifted.

"With La Guardia already at capacity and air travel exceeding record highs, more congestion will only worsen conditions, such as air and noise pollution, for people living in the neighborhoods around the airport, which is unacceptable."

The High Density Rule is due to expire next January 1, but the FAA hasn't published any future plan yet. Crowley, the Democratic Deputy Whip, is pushing for a meeting with FAA Administrator Marion Blakely to try to resolve the matter.

At the same time, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PA), which operates La Guardia Airport, would need several months to prepare for an extension of the High Density Rule or to set up completely new schedules in case the FAA scraps the rule.

PA officials said if the rule is lifted, it will take action on its own to lis7mit flights, a step which the FAA might challenge.

Crowley and airport officials are deeply concerned not only because flights have reached pre9/11 totals, but also because of the further concern brought on by terrorist possibilities.

PA Director of Aviation at La Guardia William De Cota recently told Crain's New York Business, a weekly magazine, "There isn't much time left to come up with a replacement solution. If the FAA doesn't act appropriately, we will not hesitate to take aggressive action."

Crowley noted, "The reality is that La Guardia is severely limited in its capacity for growth. We need to hear from the FAA soon about its final plan."

Crowley and his Democratic colleagues from the Queens delegation in Congress are acting in concert to try to move the FAA to action and to extend the fight controls.

The only action the FAA has taken thus far has been to present a plan to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review, but the agency has not indicated what direction it might take. It still must present a plan for public comment.

Crowley and his fellow lawmakers and the PA are concerned that the near chaos which erupted in 2000 might repeat itself. At that time, the Aviation Investment and Reform Act was passed, which lifted restrictions on startup and regional service.

Airlines flooded the FAA with requests in excess of 600 additional slots at La Guardia. By mid2000 the airport operated 1,100 slots per day. Each slot represents one takeoff or landing.

Presently, the High Density Rule permits about 75 slots per hour from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., or 1,125 takeoffs and landings a day.

Amid an outcry at that time by Crowley and local groups, the High Density Rule was reinstated, but even then La Guardia had more slots than before the new law was passed in 2000. This brought on a new crisis.

In September 2000, more than 9,000 flights in and out of the small airport were delayed, three times the delays of the previous year, according to officials. La Guardia actually accounted for 25 percent of the nation's flight delays that month.

ACrowley aide noted that there are still a lot of delays, which accounts for the lawmaker's insistence on keeping controls in place and doing so quickly. Past experience shows that if flight caps are lifted, airlines will cram as many flights as possible into La Guardia, creating the same delay and pollution problems as before.

Crowley's aide said, "The congressman wants the present flight schedules to continue. He doesn't want 2000 all over again."