Buffalo Rising Online

Aug 15th 2008, 12:10am By buffalorising

In an effort to keep the Buffalo Niagara International Airport and upstate economy from taking a hit, Assemblymember Sam Hoyt is asking the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to stop FAA wildcat auctions of air slots at Newark Liberty Airport.

Industry Estimates show that there could be as much as a 33 percent reduction in service to upstate cities, reducing air traffic and increasing travel prices. More from the Daily News here.

Hoyt claims that estimates from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey show that the lessened travel to Buffalo and other upstate cities as well as service cuts to smaller airports like Ithaca and Binghamton will never be restored.

The first auction of air rights for Newark Liberty Airport in Newark, NJ is scheduled for September 9th. Hoyt says Congress has not given the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the authority to auction use of the airspace. Congress has explicitly prohibited the FAA from implementing any new user fees, and Hoyt contends that auctioning slots would represent a new fee.

Hoyt said, "This action by the FAA flies in the face of passengers, airlines and the upstate economy. This auction is just the first attempt to create higher costs for consumers. If the FAA auctions prove lucrative we can expect more – which means higher fares, longer delays and fewer flights. It needs to be stopped."

Just recently, Hoyt spoke in favor of making the Niagara Falls Airport a multi-modal transportation facility. Calling our transportation-based commerce one of the bright spots of Buffalo's economy, with over $90 billion in goods and services crossing the region's six international bridges, Hoyt is unwilling to see the auction take place.

According to Hoyt, Buffalo's proximity to New York City and Toronto have helped to establish it as is the busiest Airport in upstate New York and third statewide in number of boardings. The airport surpassed 5 Million passengers in 2006.

"Gambling with new fees in an established nearby Metro area will negatively impact regional transportation – including Buffalo and other Upstate passengers. The FAA needs to stop playing slots with property they do not own, and are not authorized to raffle off. I hope the court will see fit to put a stop to this practice," Hoyt said.