I think the real answer is missed here. The cost of fuel and crew expense is directly borne by the airline operator. Increases in both of these areas are then reflected in higher costs and subsequently higher fares. The real culprit (at least in the U.S.) is our ATC system. There is no incentive for the ATC system to be efficient, and therefore it often is not. Individual controllers may attempt to be efficient, but often they are constrained by the bureacratic system in which they work. Whether the controller has the traffic in his/her control seperated by five miles or twenty-five miles, he/she gets paid the same. So, often they do less than the optimum, resulting in a snowball effect on the efficiency of the system. I commend the people who work in this environment that strive for excellence, and I wish there was a real way to compensate them for their efforts. Unfortunately, no such system exists.

The queuing system for departing flights would work if it was properly administered, but the ATC folks state they do not have the manpower to make it work. This attitude may be reality, but then we need to work to change this reality.

I have to chuckle about the "Airline Passenger Bill of Rights". All this will do is mess up an already fouled-up system by making hard rules where flexibility should live. I wonder if the DOT will then institute the "Bus Riders Bill of Rights", for those of us who commute and get stuck in traffic. If I'm late for work, do I sue the bus operator for damages?

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