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Save/SharePresident Bush announced on Thursday that the Pentagon will open unused military airspace along the East Coast to commercial planes from November 21 through November 25, in the hope of reducing delays during the notoriously busy Thanksgiving travel period. (The plan is to bring back the express lane at Christmas.)
The Federal Aviation Administration, meanwhile, has put a holiday moratorium on nonessential maintenance projects. Its website, fly.faa.gov, will be providing real-time updates on airport delays that can be sent to your mobile phone. Orbitz and some airlines, including Continental and United, also allow travelers to sign up for flight and news alerts—we recommend doing so!
While we welcome any steps, however overdue, that might improve the flying experience, it's tough not to be skeptical about the impact of a holiday express lane. (One blogger, The Cranky Flier, is so unimpressed that he's bestowed the Cranky Jackass Award on the Department of Transportation.)
We want to hear from you: What's your reaction to the temporary express lane? And how do you think the government should reform the airline industry?
RELATED: Better care for bumped passengers and Sign up for those flight alerts.
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Opening up military airspace may help relieve congestion during the enroute phase of flight. But I don't see how this will help congestion during airport arrival and departure?
(Of course, I'm more familiar with west coast airspace, which I think is not as crowded enroute as the Eastern corridor.)
Posted By Natasha on November 17, 2007, 2:47 PM
Lanes, shmanes. How many aircraft can leave/arrive at the same scheduled time?
Posted By Stewart on November 19, 2007, 12:09 PM
Let's take another oh-so-helpful Reagan/Republican approach and gut all the unions that have anything to do with the airline industry. That seemed to help. NOT. After all, we haven't had too many near-misses without all those overpaid air traffic controllers. Who needs 'em? Just ask NASA... oh never mind, they didn't want us to know exactly how scary the skies really are now-a-days.
Posted By Dan Watts on November 19, 2007, 3:45 PM