Clinton announces steps to battle flight delays

A White House report, released to coincide with Clinton’sannouncement, said the problem was acute.

It said flight delays have increased by more than 58percent since 1995. Cancellations are up 68 percent in the same period. The Air Transport Association estimates the cost to airlines and passengers at more than $5 billion a year.

Clinton also called on Congress to eliminate the tax paidby airline passengers to pay for Air traffic control operations. He would replace it with a system of user fees to be paid directly by commercial airlines.

The user fee proposal will have to be approved by Congress.Airlines have already criticized the changes, foreshadowing a possibly difficult path for the idea in Congress.

"We can continue at the current course and continue toexperience crowded airports, flight delays and even higher passenger frustration," Clinton said during a ceremony in the Old Executive Office Building in the White House complex.

"But if we act decisively now to improve ourinfrastructure, we can insure that Air travel in the 21st century is the safest, most cost effective, most efficient in the world."

Clinton praised an Air traffic control system of 49,000people who orchestrate the takeoff, landing and routing of 93,000 aircraft a day.

But he said despite their efforts, "the rapid growth in Airtravel is simply racing ahead of the limits of the FAA’s aging infrastructure."

The objective of the Air Traffic Organization that Clintoncreated is to act as a semi-autonomous organization to use many of the tools available to the private sector to provide Air traffic services more efficiently and safely. A Chief operating officer for it will be hired through a nationwide competitive search.

The organization will negotiate a performance agreementwith the FAA and be paid based partly on performance.

The White House said Congress should ultimately allow theAir Traffic Organization to borrow money from the Treasury or on private markets to Finance long-term capital investments to replace old Air traffic systems with new high-tech ones.

The White House report said statistics understate the truecosts of aviation congestion, because airlines have progressively "padded" their published schedules to better reflect routine delays.

For example, one major carrier schedules 75 minutes for aflight between Washington D.C. and Newark, New Jersey, even though the trip takes only 37 minutes.

"There is no short term fix but clearly what the Presidenthas proposed today will take us a long way," Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater said.

Americans in general are flying more than ever and notparticularly enjoying it. Flights can be cancelled inexplicably. Bad weather routinely triggers massive delays. Passenger complaints are up.