West News Wire: All U.S. airlines received much greater attention after the Southwest Airlines holiday season catastrophe.
Nobody anticipated Southwest’s problems, so one may reasonably wonder if another significant airline had a potential flaw that could affect its operations.
Additionally, preventing possible issues by being proactive makes sense. In New York, one of the largest airport markets in the country, the Federal Aviation Administration has been aggressive in addressing that issue.
What transpires at the three airports close to New York City JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark has an impact on air travel across the nation in addition to those traveling into and out of the New York metropolitan area. The FAA has become engaged for at least some of this reason.
“The FAA is taking several steps to keep air travel to and from New York City this summer safe and smooth, even as we see strong domestic demand and a return of pre-pandemic international traffic,” the agency said in a news release.
“To help prevent disruptions, the agency will give airlines flexibility on slot usage requirements. In turn, the FAA expects airlines to take actions minimizing impacts on passengers, including operating larger aircraft to transport more passengers and making sure passengers are fully informed about any possible disruptions.”
Basically, the federal agency has given the airlines more flexibility around their allotted slots at airports in exchange for a cut in overall flights leaving from the three airports.
The FAA moves, which also affect Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, were made due to shortages of aircraft controllers. Newark Airport, while it does serve the New York market, is not part of the summer changes.
