Maximizing Efficiency at Our Airports

Our Airports have excess capacity, which is not beingtheir hands are tied behind their backs with mandates
used due to the fact that many airliners sit during thefrom the DOT, Congress, EPA, Homeland Security, it
nighttime and fly during the day. This is only oneis amazing they are still able to even function.Airports
problem we have that can be solved through betterare an integral part of our transportation system.
optimization. You can go to any large airport in thisMany Airports have become great transportation
country and see how few aircraft are taking off inhubs as needed by the patrons who frequent them.
the middle of the night.This is a problem at Airports,Chicago, Newark, LaGuardia, Reagan, San Francisco,
where aircraft are usually parked in the middle of theHawaii, PHX, and many others have figured out how
night and fewer and fewer red eye flights theseto move people in and out quickly and connecting
days. Most of this is due to competition of the lowthem to the desired ground transportation. Likewise
fair airlines. It would be good if we could figure out athose which are in close proximity to bus-train
way to use these resources better.There isstations hubs or have incorporated them into the
tremendous growth at our airports for instanceoverall plan seem to really do well for the traveling
Dallas, Las Vegas, Atlanta, San Francisco, LAX, etc.public. Trams, which go from the airport to
And many other smaller airports Akron/Canton, Longdowntown or to the bus or train terminals and
Beach, Flint Michigan, etc. are seeing incredible growth.parking structures for rent-a-cars, really serve there
The FAA is in need of less regulation from othernearby cities well. This brings in business to the cities
bureaucracies to do its job as well as someand completes the transportation loop. Economic
privatization. The EPA routinely withholds monies toDevelopment Associations, which work closely with
airports until they comply with NPDES permits withtheir airports will often are able to encompass the
EPA and will withhold funds or add in those costs inneeds of the people, businesses and government into
their funding as mandates. The problem is that firsta seamless.We must keep the bureaucracy away
you need to expand the airport and thus increasefrom the entrepreneurial spirit and those who work in
revenues then you can solve these other issues.the Aviation and Transportation Industry so they can
Having been around airports all my life and discussingstreamline the system and find efficiencies in the
things with small, medium and large Airport Managersflow of air travel. Think about it.
and Executives their issues are not being served and