Posted on 01/18/2010 5:08:46 AM PST by Willie Green
You have to give State Rep. Bryan Lentz credit for doggedness. Last month, the Delaware County Democrat introduced, for the second time, a bill in the Pennsylvania General Assembly to create a regional authority that would own and operate the Philadelphia International and Lehigh Valley International airports. The idea is to reduce flight delays in Philadelphia.
Here's the theory behind the measure: By planning development and operations at both airports on a regional basis, airlines could be persuaded or required to use underutilized Lehigh Valley more and congested Philadelphia less.
Ideally, Lentz would like to see a tristate authority that includes Delaware and New Jersey. That way, airlines might also make greater use of airports in Atlantic City, where there now are only a few flights a day, and Trenton and Wilmington, which have no commercial service now.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
The impulse against “planning” in any guise is strong, but when it comes to transportation investment decisions, the role of government is so huge that to ignore it is simply to ignore reality. It’s a case of government authority being the worst solution — except for all the others.
There can’t be a lot more development at Lehigh Valley Airport without a LOT of eminent domain seizures. It’s pretty land locked at this point.
Different government plans for planing the failed plans of the previousl planner plans.
Yeah, give me a double spoonful of that.
Why not sell every single airport to the private sector and instead of taxes, bonds, union/hack low quality featherbedding, we could have the airports PAY TAXES!.
Imagine if Disney ran an airport, or MGM Grand, or McDonalds....and paid taxes. Why not turn after security the airport into a world class mall.
Ryan, of Europe’s Ryan Air said if he had the income from departing to the arrival airports, the flight would be free.
But no. Gooberment. High cost, low quality, low maintenance but high maintenance costs, of out dated goods and services.
Let the marketplace dictate supply/demand.
If Philly is too congested, it could raise fees, which could be used to improve the service, which would also reduce demand.
The other regional airports (which are all really quite far from Philly) would then have the incentive to pick up some of the commercial traffic.
I’m not familiar with the local situation, but if there are price controls on the Philly airport, they should be lifted. If it is a government ran facility, then it should be allowed to increase fees.
Wrong.
Did the government plan the personal computer that doubles in power, and halves in price every year? No, and that is why you get these competitive innovations.
Did the government plan Fed Ex, such that you can order a laptop tonight, and get it tomorrow? No. Even though the Post Office was in the business for a hundred years.
Government motivations in any activity is to add staff, increase costs and produce delays. Efficiency and innovations are their enemy.
If you want a more scientific background in the above, read up on James M Buchanan and Public Choice Theory. He got a Nobel for it.
With out private management discipline, the government staff would raise prices, lobby to NOT let other airports compete, increase staffing of their friends and politicians friends, they extort for a bailout.
So, like the personal computer, airports should rely on miniaturization?
Probably true. But if that is the mindset of the Philly local officials, than the efforts of State Rep. Bryan Lentz are probably to increase government control rather than to ease congestion. Regionalization only encourages the same kind of graft that you mention.
Yes it would. It’s just boob bait for the government admin bureaucracy until their pensions come in. The ‘planing’ will take years, and meanwhile deflect/shield criticisms for another decade.
Just another example of larger cities wrestling control from their smaller neighbors for their own benefit.
The congestion problem at Philly airport stems from two things. First is the fact that they are the only major airport in the world that does not have an in ground fuel delivery system. Fuel has to be trucked out to the planes which takes more time and places another layer of ground traffic around the planes.
Second is the US Airways hub. Philly thought that it was quite a feather in their cap when they wooed the US Airways hub from Pittsburgh in 2004. What do they think now that it causes such congestion?
If Rep. Bryan Lentz wanted to do what is good for his entire state, he would convince the Pittsburgh airport to reduce their operating fees so that much of US Airways's hub could be returned to Pittsburgh. It would be a win/win situation for Philly, Pittsburgh and all of Pennsylvania.
I usually use Baltimore, but AA has shifted a lot of flights down to DC, which is a major pain in the @ss.
The Wilmington Airport is 20 minutes from Philly Intl.
it has longer runways but no modern terminal (1950’s design and function)
every 5-10 years an airline shows up to run scheduled service to somewhere and then quits within a year.
Air traffic at Wilmington is so light, the Airforce uses it to shoot touch&goes with Air Force One. (which is really neat to watch.
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