President Bush will double payments to passengers who are bumped off overbooked flights and open some restricted air space to commercial flights, two of a series of measures he unveiled yesterday to help mitigate air traffic congestion. The measures announced by Bush are administrative or are being undertaken by the airlines.

The president took the opportunity to call on Congress to act on a FAA modernization bill (FAA Reauthorization Bill), pointing to provisions in the legislation that would "employ market pricing to reduce congestion" and upgrade air traffic control traffic systems. "By working together we can restore the confidence of America's consumers, improve the efficiency of America's airports, and bring order to America's skies," Bush said.

The new payments will grant passengers forced to wait more than two hours after being bumped a minimum of $800 in compensation instead of the $400 they currently receive. The increase will not go into effect immediately, but will be subject to a rulemaking process the White House hopes will be finished by next summer's travel season.
  
Bush also announced steps designed to reduce wait times during the upcoming holiday season. From Wednesday until Sunday of next week, military flights will be curtailed in certain areas to create a "Thanksgiving express lane" stretching from Maine to Florida. The FAA will impose a "holiday moratorium" on non-essential maintenance projects so all FAA equipment and personnel can focus on keeping flights on time. Other longer term steps include collaboration between the FAA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to reduce bottlenecks in the New York area, which is a source of flight delays in other areas of the country.

Other regulations the administration is working on would require airlines to collect and provide the Transportation Department with better data on the sources of flight delays and evaluate other requirements for the airlines -- including mandatory contingency plans to aid stranded passengers and penalties for chronically delayed flights. Federal officials are also discussing with airlines the use of "market mechanisms" -- such as peak time pricing -- to help reduce overcrowding at airports.