News

NEW YORK, NY October 23, 2007 —The US Transportation Secretary has scheduled a meeting today in Washington, aimed at reducing delays at JFK airport. WNYC's Beth Fertig has more.

Traffic at JFK has grown by 40% in the past year and a half, and delays are among the worst in the nation. The FAA has recommended cutting traffic to about 80 flights per hour - compared to the current rate of 100 per hour during peak times.

The Port Authority, which runs JFK, says that would have prevented 3.5 million passengers from traveling through the airport last year. Instead of cutting traffic, the Authority wants to expand capacity with new technology, and by doing a better job of managing planes on the ground and in the air.

The FAA has invited the Port Authority and representatives from the airlines to a 2 day conference in Washington to come up with ways of reducing congestion by next summer. It's also appointed a committee which includes all 3 New York area airports to discuss alternatives to cutting traffic, such as charging travelers more during peak hours. For WNYC, I'm Beth Fertig.