Big cities and states are competitive and
protective of all forms of transportation, especially hub airports. They cannot independently plan a nationwide system
of wayports integrated with air traffic control, highways and light and high speed rail that serves all of the U.S.
Wayports
will transform the U.S. air system as Senators Lott and Lautenburg suggest. It's a system of collection
and distribution centers that supplements and relieves aviation activities from congested
airports the way the Interstate Highway System does for roads and highways. Wayports will be strategically located to
overlay and supplement the existing airport system. It will be integrated with FAA's enroute and terminal air traffic
control and highways and light and high speed rail to assure intemodal access. It's designed
to satisfy long-term (40 year) next generation air transportation needs. It's a safe, economical and environmentally
acceptable alternative that supplements and goes beyond FAA's 10 year Operational Evolution Plan (OEP) to expand
the busiest airports.
Wayports functioning as a Interstate Aviation System
must be part of the long-term solution to accommodate growth to 2025 and beyond. This problem
can be solved only if long-term aviation system planning, leadership and direction is done at
the mega-region or national level by appropriate authorities just as Air Traffic Control and Interstate Highway
Systems are planned. Capacity must be provided on a coordinated, timely as needed basis.
Wayports are more economical, environmentally better and more safe than
indefinitely expanding existing airports. They provide capacity to satisfy long-term (30-40 year) growth
while reducing the impact on people living near airports. Use of a Wayport will be induced by being more
convenient and delay free and by reducing development costs and rates and charges. Competition will be significantly
enhanced by less expensive options for passengers and other commerce. Wayports will eliminate the need for greater
intrusion on private industry through unwanted government rationing of airport access. High-speed rail, regional light
rail and highways providing access to a Wayport must be included to assure intermodal access.
Future Commercial Space Programs can also be accommodated at Wayports.
It
may be necessary to institute capacity caps at congested airports to force hubbing airlines to relocate some connecting passengers
and cargo to other underutilized airports. This may be viewed as a form of rationing but the alternative of living congested
hubs and aiirspace serving them may be necessary to prevent massive delays and unsafe conditions caused by air and ground
congestioin.
FedEx's Fred Smith is given credit for pioneering the hub and spoke system in the September
2006 Readers Digest. It is a brilliant concept and has served the country and industry well. However, many airports are
outgrowing their inter-city sites and will have difficulty providing long-term nationwide capacity in a safe, economical
and environmentally acceptable way.
The same emphasis and priority given to solving nationwide highways
in 1956 should be given to solving aviation's problems. The Interstate Highway System was 50 years old in June 2006.
While Interstate Highways were being built, only two new major airports were built in the U.S. Both replaced existing
airports. No supplemental hub airports have ever been built. Most hub airports have over
50% connections with some up to 80%. Connecting passengers rarely leave the airport or gate area to avoid going back through
long security screening lines. An originating passenger lives in the community or are visitors or tourists who uses
ticketing, bag processing, security screening at the airport and spends money at hotels, restaurants, conventions, shopping
malls, rental cars, airport parking and surface transportation.
The federal government manages, plans, staffs
and funds the air traffic control system. Planning, development and operation of airports is left to local/state
governments even though air traffic control, airways and airports are totally dependent on each other. If one breaks down
the whole system breaks down. The primary difference between highways and airways is a highway is paved all the
way and the airway is paved on each end. Both do the same thing in moving passengers, commerce, cargo, postal and
express mail from point to point but only runways/airways can link America to other Continents. Both have a tremendous
impact on nationwide and global economies, commerce and mobility.
Peak hour air and ground delays can be eliminated by placing realistic caps based on actual
capacity of congested airports as Wayports come on line to provide supplemental capacity. Caps limiting connecting
passengers to reasonable percentages will reduce delays and be more acceptable than rationing airport access.
The Wayports advocate has recommended for years that until an alternative is adopted
and implemented that provides capacity and reduces congestion at hub and spoke airports, a reasonable alternative would
be to cap connecting operations at 35-40% at congested hubs. If airlines or local governments want to accommodate connections
in excess of this amount and as high as 80% in some communities, they would pay all airport operational and development
costs and a special user fee to cover Air Traffic Control services which today are innunated by connecting activity.
Expanding existing airports create unwanted air and ground congestion, noise and air pollution. Inner-city
airports continue to build out their airports without evaluating long-term alternatives like a Wayport comparing costs, economic
impacts and environmental standards.
Even if there was enough funding, expanding existing airports
is not a dependable long-term source of capacity because expansions can be blocked by organized
opposition. Noise, air pollution and road congestion that make life miserable for those who live near airports must not
be tolerated if there are other reasonable alternatives.
A solution is needed that reduces
the vulnerability of local governments to future shifts and reductions of connecting flights and allow consistent sound long-term
financial and funding programs. This current trend of reductions of connecting flights will continue because passengers avoid
connecting flights if non-stop, point to point flights are available at comparable prices. Low-cost and regional airlines have
captured almost 50% of the passenger market.
