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Wednesday, March 10, 2004
Contact: Leonardo Alcivar,
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
DOT 26-04
U.S.
TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY NORMAN Y. MINETA TOURS O’HARE; CITES EARLY SUCCESS FOR
AIRPORT’S CONGESTION REDUCTION PLAN
Chicago, IL. – Weather at O’Hare International Airport has a lot to do with the
early success of schedule reductions meant to lessen flight delays for airport
travelers, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today after a
morning visit to Chicago.
Today, the Secretary visited the airport for an early report on implementation
of the new plan to cut flight delays, keeping an earlier promise to closely
monitor the situation.
In January, Secretary Mineta announced an agreement with United Airlines and
American Airlines to reduce by 5 percent their daily flight schedules as a way
to help cut congestion at O’Hare and other airports around the nation. American
implemented schedule reductions March 2, while United launched its new schedule
March 4.
“On days when the weather has been good, the reductions have helped,” Secretary
Mineta said. “But when the airport has suffered high winds, the delays are
unavoidable.”
Secretary Mineta said the reductions during peak hours between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.
were implemented last week, noting the changes have shown promise but need more
time to show solid results.
“While it is way too early to make any judgments, today’s visit has given me
confidence that we will soon see positive results. In fact, I believe that, when
the winter weather is behind us, we will see a dramatic improvement,” he said.
The planned reductions will last until September, when Secretary Mineta said he
and others will evaluate the long-term impact of the changes on delays.
“Flight delays are an economic drain on this country and they clog the free flow
of people and products,” he said. “The level of congestion that we are seeing at
O’Hare could soon become a problem for our entire nation.”
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