Gov. Andrew Cuomo did a disservice to the residents of Queens and nearby area on Oct. 20 when he called for plans to modernize LaGuardia and Kennedy airports without explaining that it is the taxpayers who will pay for much of this.
Community groups in Queens and elsewhere have been pointing out for the last 30 months — since the FAA started to jam as many jets as possible through the NYC air space — that this huge increase in traffic comes with huge costs.
These include costs to public health from increased noise and air pollution, costs to our overburdened highways, tunnels and bridges to accommodate the millions of additional passengers that the FAA and the airlines want, and costs in reduced property values, which will eventually mean reduced property tax revenues to NYC.
All this so the airlines — which are raking in more money than ever — can get a free ride on the backs of local communities.
Shame on you, Gov. Cuomo, for ignoring the damage that the airlines and their supporters in the FAA are inflicting on the people on the ground.
Peter Rutledge
Bayside
