Tom Harkin: “one of the most serious issues facing our national air transport system is the shortage of space--both in the air and on…”

“one of the most serious issues facing our national air transport system is the shortage of space--both in the air and on the ground at key airports. We've seen this most clearly this past summer in the backups at Chicago O'Hare and in much of the airspace in the Northeast. Americans have developed a tremendous appetite for air travel for both leisure and business needs. In the last few years, with our economy so strong, the result has been an increasing number of packed planes all year round, especially during the peak summer travel season. But for many Americans trying to enjoy some vacation time, this summer was a season of discontent filled with bad weather, aging air traffic control systems and airline-employee difficulties. Countless Americans spent hours sitting on the tarmac at O'Hare waiting to take off, or sitting in the airport lounge, waiting for their planes to arrive. Thousands of Americans found themselves delayed, stranded and disappointed. A once-reliable system has become increasingly unreliable. Some of these events are unavoidable. Clearly, there are times when bad weather requires us to delay or cancel flights. But when an airport is near capacity, even the tiniest alteration in landing and takeoff timing can quickly turn into considerable delays. We've been seeing the warning signs for years.…”