Aviation Congestion: Proposed Non-Air Traffic Control Remedies

Publication Date: September 2001

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Transportation

Type:

Abstract:

Prior to the summer of 2001, the airline industry experienced two consecutive summers of record flight delays. This was accompanied by rising public dissatisfaction with airline service in general. The debate amongst airlines, airports, and government as to who should be blamed for this situation is long-standing. A concomitant debate continues to occur as to solutions to this problem. The two apparent points of agreement are that ultimately there is no single cause of the delays and there is no single solution to the problem.

Congress and the Bush Administration are examining a number of non-air traffic control strategies that might be useful in reducing delay both in the short and long term. Most of these efforts focus on expanding airport capacity or using existing capacity better. These include: new runway construction; environmental streamlining to speed up construction; allocation of airport space by use of economic incentives, i.e. peak period pricing; or administrative means, i.e. antitrust immunity to allow airline schedule coordination. All of the potential remedies engender some element of controversy, but the level of controversy varies significantly by suggested remedy. This report provides a brief overview and analysis of remedies currently under consideration by Congress and the Administration. This report will be updated as warranted by events.