U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand
today wrote to Continental Airlines urging them to reconsider the withdrawal of
all four daily, round-trip CommutAir flights between Ithaca Tompkins Regional
Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. Continental’s decision
to withdraw flights was initially based on the concern that congestion at
Newark has made it difficult to fly in and out of the New York City airspace,
but Senators Schumer and Gillibrand said that the strength of Ithaca Tompkins’s
enplanement numbers, combined with new leadership at the Department of
Transportation (DOT) will make the airport a more attractive market than ever.
“Cutting service in the face of increased demand, fewer
delays and new leadership at the Department of Transportation makes no
sense,” said Schumer. “Continental has a golden opportunity to take advantage
of this growing demand by keeping its round trip flights to Newark. With a new
DOT Secretary in charge, the FAA will be better equipped to handle congestion,
making travel from Ithaca Tompkins to Newark more popular
and lucrative. Maintaining service in a growing market would be a good
decision for Continental in the long run, and I urge them to reverse their
decision to withdraw the flight so that New Yorkers can reap the benefits
of better, more efficient air travel.”
“Many families and businesses rely on air service between
Ithaca and Newark,” Senator Gillibrand said. “Cutting these flights will
undermine economic growth and just doesn’t make sense. As we continue working
on our economic recovery, we can’t afford to lose these critical flights. I
will work with Senator Schumer to convince Continental to retain these
flights.”
Between February 2008 and January 2009, Ithaca Tompkins
Airport experienced a .68 percent increase in both arriving and departing
passengers, demonstrating a rising demand for travel, even as the industry
weakened elsewhere in the country. Ridership on the four continental
daily continental flights to Newark rose to 2,705 in April, and they were on
average 72 percent full.
During that same time period, New York and New Jersey
airports have been bogged down with congestion that has affected air travel
throughout the entire country. Under the previous Administration, the DOT was
not prepared to clear up congestion over the New York City airspace nor was it
capable of focusing on increasing safety in our nation’s skies, or smoothing
operations at our nation’s airports.
Senators Schumer and Gillibrand said today that the new DOT
Secretary Ray LaHood is ready and able to combat flight delays in the New York,
and will be appointing a new Administrator
to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who will be capable of
implementing a real solution to New York City’s troubled airspace. Schumer and
Gillibrand indicated that the presence of the new DOT Secretary Ray LaHood
coupled with the growing demand for travel at Ithaca Tompkins make the market
extremely attractive and urged Continental to continue daily operations to and
from Newark.
To help keep the four roundtrip CommutAir flights at Ithaca
Tompkins Regional, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand wrote to Continental
Airlines CEO Lawrence Kellner urging him to reverse his decision.
In the letter, the Senators wrote, “We are confident that
the new Administration, along with FAA reauthorizing legislation, will work to
implement a real solution to New York City’s troubled airspace. For all
of these reasons I ask that Continental reverse the decision to completely pull
CommutAir’s presence from Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.”
May 11, 2009
Lawrence Kellner
Chief Executive Officer
Continental Airlines
1600 Smith St.,34th Fl – HQSCR Houston, TX 77002
Dear Mr. Kellner:
We write to urge Continental Airlines to reconsider the
withdrawal of all four daily, round-trip CommutAir flights from Ithaca Tompkins
Regional Airport (ITH) to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR).
While we understand your concerns that the congestion at EWR have created a
climate in which it is difficult to fly in and out of the New York City
airspace, we are confident that the strength of ITH’s enplanement numbers,
combined with new leadership at the Department of Transportation (DOT) will
make ITH a more attractive market than ever.
There is no denying that the New York airspace is plagued
with many problems. The New York and New Jersey airports are bogged down
with congestion that affects air travel throughout the entire country.
However, aviation experts expect this summer’s delays to be a decrease over the
delays of summers past.
A snapshot of ITH shows that, from February 2008 to January
2009, the number of people getting on planes was actually increasing at the
airport. The airport enjoyed a .68% increase in both arriving and
departing passengers over that time period, demonstrating a rising demand for
travel, even as the industry soured elsewhere in the country. Meanwhile,
Continental’s passenger boardings for April rose to 2,705, with an average load
factor across the four flights of 72%.
We are also encouraged by the presence of a
new administration that has brought with it a new DOT. DOT Secretary
Ray LaHood stands ready and able to take on an incredible amount of work in the
coming months, not the least of which is appointing a new Administrator to
the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The last administration
left the agency in a state of disorganization that impaired its ability to
focus on safety in our nation’s skies, and smooth operations at our nation’s
airports. Their proposed solution to congestion in the New York City
airspace was to implement an untested scheme of auctioning takeoff and landing
slots at airports- a proposal that Secretary LaHood thankfully opposes.
To put it simply, the last DOT did not know how to clear up
congestion over New York City. We are confident that the
new administration, with the help of provisions enacted in the FAA
reauthorizing legislation, will work to implement a real solution to New York
City’s troubled airspace. For all of these reasons we ask that
Continental reverse the decision to completely pull CommutAir’s presence from
ITH.
Thank you for your attention to this
matter. If you have any questions or need additional information, please
contact Katie Kulpa in Senator Schumer’s Washington, DC office at 202-224-6542
or Ben Rosenbaum in Senator Gillibrand’s Washington, DC office at 202-224-4451.
Sincerely,
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer
U.S. Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand