Congressman
Jesse Jackson Jr.
The Federal Aviation Administration
warned us years ago of an approaching gridlock at the
nation's airports. FAA officials repeated mantra-like
that America needed "10 new airports the size of
O'Hare." Inexplicably, however, the FAA under
Presidents Bush and Clinton ignored its own dire
forecasts and did little to deter gridlock. Now air
travelers are paying the price.
The flying public knows the
problems all too well. Record delays and cancellations.
Poor service. Overcrowded planes. Outdated technology.
Controllers errors. "Ghost planes." Bad
weather. Over stressed, overstuffed, overburdened
airports.
One of the nation's worst choke
points is Chicago's O'Hare Airport. That's why in 19984 -
16 years ago - the FAA under President Reagan directed
Chicago to begin planning for a new airport. Almost three
years ago the State of Illinois under Gov. Edgar
submitted a detailed plan for a Chicago reliever airport
to the FAA. But, there it's sat, gathering dust.
Why? Because Chicago Mayor Richard
Daley and the airlines, in cooperation with the Clinton
Administration, have blocked any substantial new air
service from competing with the city-owned,
United-and-American-dominated fortress hub cynically
dubbed "O' Nightmare." Unfortunately, Chicago's
one-time local problem has now gone global. Because
Chicago is the air traffic hub, when O'Hare hiccups, the
world feels indigestion.
Now, in a deja vu of 1984,
Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater says it's time to
study the nation's capacity problems. Ironically,
Slater's call for a capacity study comes six months after
he successfully lobbied Congress to increase from $3 to
$4.50 the Passenger Facility Charge, a federal ticket tax
design to subsidize new airport construction to alleviate
capacity problems. Now, Slater says it's time to study
it.
Given the FAA's well-documented
knowledge of the problems, and its inaction to address
them, it's no wonder the public's frustration and outrage
have reached fever pitch. The Clinton and Daley
Administrations are missing an important opportunity to
act in the public interest and solve this problem.
The solution to Chicago's problem,
and in part the nation is clear. The FAA should :
- Put people first, not the
airlines
- Remove politics from the
decision-making
- Launch an investigation of
anti-competitive pricing practices at fortress hubs
- Take the Chicago proposal off the
shelf, and put Secretary Slater on it
Lastly, we must hear the views of
presidential nominees Al Gore and George W. Bush. As long
as they avoid this national crisis, the problems will
only compound. Chicago's third airport could help solve
multiple problems. All that's lacking is the political
will to proceed.
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