The federal government keeps kicking the air traffic control crisis in New York down the road. About three quarters of all airspace delays track to the New York metro area, according to the FAA. And this has knock-on effects as delays of planes flying out of New York wind up causing downline delays elsewhere in the country. So far all the government has been able to do is encourage airlines to fly less, rather than fixing the problem. The government hands out the right to takeoff and land at congested airports (“slots”) to incumbent airlines. These are treated as property rights (given free, so subsidies) that block competitors from entering the market. Since there’s a severe shortfall in air traffic controllers in the New York area, the government has waived the normal requirement that airlines…
