$40 billion airport measure said to help prevent delays

September 28, 2000
Web posted at: 11:46 a.m. EDT (1546 GMT)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The infusion of $40 billion into airports and the air traffic control system in the United States will help alleviate air delays and passenger complaints, government and air industry officials said Thursday.

"We've had the worst summer ever of delays, the worst time ever with customer complaints, and indeed something should be done," said U.S. Rep. Bud Shuster, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. "The good news is, help is on the way."

The Pennsylvania Republican's announcement underscores a travel season plagued by flight delays and canceled flights. Transportation officials have blamed bad weather and industry labor problems for most of those woes.

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Funds in the so-called "AIR 21" legislation should ease the crunch, Shuster said before the start of a House hearing Thursday addressing this summer's delays. President Clinton signed the three-year bill in April.

"AIR 21 is aimed at keeping our skies the safest skies in the world," Shuster said, who urged transportation officials not to blame inclement weather for the recent travel problems.

"A big part of the reason why we have these weather delays is because we don't have modern traffic control that enables us to fly in bad weather safely," he said.

Shuster also recommended removing the Federal Aviation Administration from under the Department of Transportation and making it an independent government agency like NASA.

The last few months have been rough ones for the industry, acknowledged American Airlines CEO Donald Carty.

"We have just survived what can only be characterized as the summer of our discontent," he said.

Carty was hopeful that the new funding would help address the problems.

"I would just like to reiterate how much we appreciate Congress stepping up to this problem and appropriating the funding that's going to be required to solve it," he said.

The legislation will play a "significant role" in helping airports fund necessary improvements, said Benjamin R. DeCosta, aviation general manager for Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. Hartsfield, the nation's busiest airport, plans to add a fifth runway as part of a $5.4 billion capital improvement project.

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Federal Aviation Administration
Department of Transportation
American Airlines
Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport

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