The Air Transport Association of America has issued the following statement in response to the White House announcement on actions to reduce air travel delays, resulting in improved customer service over the upcoming Thanksgiving and winter holiday travel periods.ATA has applauded President Bush, the Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for their efforts to improve the travel experience for passengers over the upcoming holidays. They said, “The positive measures announced today are steps in the right direction. ATA and the airlines will continue to work with the federal government and airports to complement the announced initiatives and to provide a safe and enjoyable holiday travel experience.”

The statement continues, “Despite fierce opposition from Congress and most aviation stakeholders, this outgoing administration regrettably still plans to go forward with its ideological experiment to auction takeoff and landing slots at the three major New York-area airports, under the guise of reducing congestion. Holding proposed slot auctions in January will cause significant inconvenience to passengers from cancelled flights and irreparable harm to airlines.”
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