Washington - As President Bush and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters prepare to meet today on the topic of severe flight delays, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is urging them to announce serious and substantive measures to alleviate passenger delays. Menendez has been a leader on this issue, and last month he sent a letter to the Department of Transportation and Federal Aviation Administration urging that they promptly examine new ideas to reduce delays, including possible flight schedule reductions (http://menendez.senate.gov/pdf/082107lettertofaa.pdf). That call was echoed by outgoing FAA chief Marion Blakey, who in a speech earlier this month called on airlines to reduce schedules or otherwise face federal action (http://menendez.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=282360).

Menendez released the following statement prior to the today's meeting:

"Airline passengers go to the airport expecting to get out of town, not to sit endlessly in the terminal or on the tarmac," said Menendez. "I have called for the administration to do something to get at the root of this problem, and that's what I'm hoping to hear from the president and Secretary Peters today.

"It is good to see that the president has finally decided to join the conversation on flight delays, but I am concerned that this might be a case of too little, too late. The FAA has the power to end delays and they should move aggressively to do so. Half the flights at Newark Airport were delayed this summer. That's intolerable."

The New Jersey/New York airspace is the most crowded in the nation, and Newark Liberty International Airport experiences the most delays in the nation.

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