Cool Your Jets, Daley Says

By Tim State in News on Nov 11, 2007 7:21PM

Mayor Daley and the FAA got in a bit of a pissing match over the weekend, with the FAA cooling their jets after a Tribune article published Saturday cited the FAA as stating a 2004 cap on flights would not be lifted after the new runway opened at O’Hare. Flight restrictions were imposed in an effort to help ease flight delays and cancellations, and the two parties came to realize they had different expectations of the $15billion expansion. Henry Krakowski, the FAA's new chief of air-traffic operations, told Chicago officials that he saw the expansion as congestion-relieving, but will not lead to an expansion in the number of flights.

This complicates the over-budget and behind-schedule fifth runway project, which airlines have been reluctant to help fund. Airlines don’t want to pay for a project that doesn’t guarantee they can resume 2004 flight schedules. The city anticipates the new runway would expand capacity so that discount carriers could finally arrive at O’Hare, improving competition and drive down fares. But with the FAA’s restriction, that might not be possible.

In reaction to the Tribune article, the FAA backed off on their original statements, saying it “may consider a phased approach” next year to the possibility of ending flight restrictions. Still, it appears Daley and the FAA may be stuck on a taxiway in gridlock in the coming years.

Image by sarah.bee.