November 19, 2008

Military airspace to reopen as holiday 'express lane'

East Coast air travelers will again get a holiday “express lane” as military airspace will open to commercial flights in hopes of easing the holiday travel crunch, President George Bush said Tuesday.

The express lane was first opened up for commercial use at the year-end holidays in 2007, again at Memorial Day and then for the Fourth of July weekend.

In addition, this year the military airspace will open up in the Midwest, Southwest and along the West Coast, as well. Other steps are in the works to ease travel for consumers, the president said.

“We have just completed new regulations that provide increased protection for consumers. These include measures that will require airlines to provide greater compensation for lost bags, as well as tougher penalties when airlines fail to notify travelers of hidden fees,” he said.

However, the New York Times noted that the president also announced plans to push through an auction of 90 landing slots at JFK, 90 slots at Newark and 113 at LaGuardia despite opposition from some airlines as well as the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the three airports.

Related: Air travel expected to drop by 7.2% at Thanksgiving (USA Today)

November 19, 2008 3:07 PM in Arrivology

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