Next Summer: Fewer Flight Delays, But Higher Prices Image courtesy of
Here are the results of those secret meetings we told you about last week: flight delays may be cut by as much as 25% by next summer, but the consequence will be fewer flight times to choose from, and higher ticket prices. The airlines are suggesting cutting the number of flights out of the three hubs most responsible for the nation's delays—JFK, La Guardia, and Newark. "About three-fourths of chronic delays around the country can be traced back to congestion at these three airports," reports Kiplinger's.
Here are the results of those secret meetings we told you about last week: flight delays may be cut by as much as 25% by next summer, but the consequence will be fewer flight times to choose from, and higher ticket prices. The airlines are suggesting cutting the number of flights out of the three hubs most responsible for the nation’s delays—JFK, La Guardia, and Newark. “About three-fourths of chronic delays around the country can be traced back to congestion at these three airports,” reports Kiplinger’s.
The move is an attempt by the airlines to address both the incredibly high rate of delays (up to 28% this year) and the deep customer dissatisfaction (up to 1893% this year), before the feds step in with legislation or congestion pricing. They’re expected to produce an official draft of their congestion-reduction plan this December, and Congress says they’ll be checking in every three months to monitor progress—which we think means one more time before summer comes around?
“Smoother Skies Ahead for Frustrated Travelers” [Kiplinger’s]
(Photo: Getty)
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