By Philip Newman
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Gov. David Paterson and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey criticized the decision as misguided and likely to cost passengers more to fly.
Schumer said it could end up creating “chaos” at LaGuardia.
“Our plan strikes a sound balance between protecting investments by incumbent carriers and ensuring that all airlines have the ability to fly to New York's LaGuardia,” Peters said. “Competition will help give fliers more choices, fewer delays and lower fares.”
Schumer said, “The FAA's misguided plan to sell takeoff and landing slots to the highest bidder won't make your plane take off faster. It will just cost New Yorkers more to fly and throw LaGuardia airport into chaos.”
Paterson said the decision by Peters was “not the right solution, and in the case of the auctioning of slots at LaGuardia, [is] woefully misguided.”
“The last thing the New York economy needs is a blow to its business and tourism sectors by charging passengers more money to visit and do business in New York,” Paterson said.
Although LaGuardia has been under limitations on numbers of flights for more than 35 years, it remains one of the nation's most delayed airports.
In a statement, the Port Authority said, “Instead of modernizing a 1950s-era air traffic control system to meet passenger demand for more flights, the DOT and FAA are choosing to charge passengers more money via an auction without reducing delays and delivering relief.”
