Bob Franken: Congressional hearings on air traffic delays

Q: What type of congressional hearings are going on today regarding air traffic delays?

FRANKEN: There are two issues. The House of Representatives Legislation committee discussed quite non-controversial legislation which would permit, under certain circumstances, competing airlines to consult with one another about schedules in an effort to try to come up with more efficient flight plans, during peak hours in particular. The problem is unless there is some sort of dispensation given the airlines it could be accused of anti-trust violations if they did in fact have that sort of consultation. This legislation, if passed, is expected to glide by.

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In the Senate, the discussion was really about what is the problem here. The Department of Transportation and the General Accounting Office have pointed out that in the year 2000 one out of every four flights was delayed, canceled or diverted, affecting 163 million passengers. The statistics are really quite alarming. Also, in the same studies, they point out that in the last five years delays have risen 90 percent and cancellations have risen 104 percent, alarming figures.

The senate will soon consider legislation sponsored by Sen. John McCain that would at least require the airlines to promptly notify travelers where there is a significant delay. That is one of the major complaints of travelers, that airlines often keep them in the dark. Also, it would require them to provide for the passengers stuck in an airport and tell someone booking a reservation whether a flight is chronically late and would come up with ways that the airlines would be required to improve on their record.

The airlines argue that this is unnecessary government intrusion. That, in fact, the airlines should be allowed to do this voluntarily. But the critics say that the airlines have had their chance and have not accomplished it voluntarily. As a matter of fact, when you get to what the cause of the delay is, every side seems to blame the other. The airlines say the problem is an inadequate air traffic control system and that the government has really not come up with a more modern one. Everybody blames the weather. The critics of the airline industry say part of the problem is that hub and spoke system that the airlines use makes delays inevitable and creates choke points.

All agree that this problem will get worse before it gets better. It could take 10 years before you see any reasonable results improving the situation.

Q: How might the outcome of these hearings affect consumers?

FRANKEN: Probably very little. The fact of the matter is what they are doing is nibbling at the edges a little bit. All expect that as we get into the heavy travel of the summer season with the uncertain weather that is always a part of that, it is going to be worse than last year which was just a mess. It’s just agony right now to fly.

Q: Could all of this lead to re-regulation of the airline industry?

FRANKEN: Although many people argue that the real problem is that the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978 actually was counter productive, ending up reducing competition, nobody is willing to say that they are going to re-regulate. It has become almost impossible now because the regulatory mechanism that was in place has been dismantled. There could be some regulation of the airline industry. But the airline industry is extremely active politically. Last year during the campaign they contributed sixteen and a half million dollars to various political candidates. The industry has been successful in lobbying its way with its major contribution out of any significant control.

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