U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer wants to make flying friendlier for Central New Yorkers.
From the lobby of Hancock Airport, Schumer proposed a three-point plan Wednesday designed to ease flight delays at Hancock.
Travelers flying in and out of Syracuse this year have experienced the worst delays in a decade. From 2002 to 2007, delays for departing flights jumped from 11 to 21 percent. Arrival delays spiked from 19 to 30 percent.
The average wait time: an hour and 12 minutes. Last year, it was 48 minutes.
"Delays are off the chart and out of control," said Schumer, D-N.Y.
Schumer said travelers can't blame Hancock entirely for the delays. The culprit is gridlock at airports in New York City and other metropolitan areas, he said.
"When the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) fails to manage air traffic in New York City, Boston, Philadelphia or Washington, its folks flying to places like Syracuse who are left in the lurch," Schumer said.
New York City is the most common destination for travelers flying out of Hancock Airport. Last year, nearly 270,000 people flew from Syracuse to New York City, with 159,000 passengers flying into John F. Kennedy International Airport - one of the worst airports in the country in terms of delays and congestion.
JFK has the capacity to move 100 planes through the airport each hour, Schumer said. The airport currently moves about 65. "When those planes get delayed, within a half hour, Hancock gets delayed," he said.
To ease the burden on travelers, Schumer proposed a three-pronged plan, which includes:
Calling on President Bush to appoint a "competent" administrator for the FAA. The top spot was left vacant in September after former chief Marion C. Blakey's term expired.
Urging the FAA to better staff air control towers. Syracuse currently has 22 air traffic controllers and two trainees. There should be 30, Schumer said. Worse, each of New York City's airports have fewer than 30 air traffic controllers per tower, when they should have 40, Schumer said.
Promoting the use of technology, including satellite imagery and global positioning systems, which would allow more airplanes to fly at one time. Schumer said the technology would help ease congestion in two to three years.
Still, Schumer's proposal won't fix all delays.
Wednesday, Schumer flew in a private plane from Albany to Syracuse and still arrived at 2:25 p.m. for his 2 p.m. news conference.
"We didn't take a commercial flight, and we're still late," Schumer said with a shrug.
Delen Goldberg can be reached at [email protected] or 470-2274.
