Plan would let U.S. airlines share scheduling info WASHINGTON (Reuters) =97 Airlines could share scheduling information to ease= =20 flight delays caused by bad weather under a proposal approved by a=20 congressional committee Wednesday. The plan approved by the House aviation= =20 subcommittee would require the government to ease antitrust regulations=20 that restrict carriers from coordinating schedules. This has been done in=20 the past to ease delays on a temporary basis. But in recent years, the=20 Justice Department has been reluctant to embrace the concept, fearing the=20 biggest airlines would use it to pressure rivals. The FAA currently holds=20 planning conferences with airlines during the day to discuss performance of= =20 the air traffic system but airlines themselves cannot jointly coordinate=20 their operations. The pressure for solutions to easing congestion in the=20 skies has eased with the sharp drop in travel due to a slumping economy,=20 the 2001 hijack attacks and the Iraq war. But Transportation Secretary=20 Norman Mineta and senior Federal Aviation Administration officials have=20 warned that air travel could pick up sooner than expected. Weather causes=20 most delays. Overall delays in the air traffic system are running far below= =20 the record levels of 2000, mainly because the major airlines are running=20 fewer flights due to their financial troubles. Other highlights of the aviation bill approved by the House panel would: =95 Fund FAA, airport improvement, and other aviation programs at $59= billion=20 for another four years. =95 Add a category on security in monthly Transportation Department=20 statistics for passenger complaints. =95 Order a study on the health effects of air quality in aircraft cabins. =95 Provide more access at Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport,= which=20 is limited by federal order. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.cso.gov.tt TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************