Big airlines want FAA to delay private jets in New York=0AUpdated 6h 53m ag= o | Comment | Recommend E-mail | Save | Print | =0A=0A=0A=0AWASHINGTO= N (AP) =97 The leading U.S. airlines urged the Federal Aviation Administrat= ion Monday to impose delays on flights by corporate and private jets to hel= p relieve the congestion at New York airports over the Fourth of July holid= ay.=0ADelays that stem from congestion in New York can have ripple effects = throughout the nation, particularly along the East Coast.=0AThe Air Transpo= rt Association, which represents American Airlines and United Airlines, sai= d that private planes landing in smaller New York regional airports aren't = necessarily subjected to the same delays that bedevil commercial flights in= to New York's John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.=0AThat view was stron= gly disputed by the National Business Aviation Association, which represent= s 8,000 companies and other operators of private aircraft.=0A"The FAA is no= t playing favorites," said Steve Brown, a senior vice president at NBAA. Th= e agency does delay private flights due to heavy air traffic or threatening= weather, he said.=0AFIND MORE STORIES IN: New York | Federal Aviation Admi= nistration | US airlines | ATA | Fourth of July | Air Transport Association= | Laura Brown =0AIn addition, private jets aren't the cause of late commer= cial flights, he added. The primary culprits are weather, shortages of flig= ht crews and other factors, he said.=0AThe ATA's complaint comes as New Yor= k City airports have had a very difficult time with delayed and canceled fl= ights this year.=0ABetween January and April, 38% of all flights at Newark = Liberty, Kennedy and LaGuardia were either late or canceled, according to f= ederal statistics.=0AJames May, the ATA's chief executive, said New York Ci= ty's airspace "is completely saturated and near gridlock."=0AMore than one-= third of all air traffic delays in the country on June 28 were in New York = City airspace, May said. Other ATA members include Southwest Airlines, Cont= inental Airlines and Delta Air Lines.=0ALaura Brown, a spokeswoman for the = FAA, said the agency would consider the ATA's proposal, "but there are a bu= nch of things we're doing to relieve air congestion" in the New York City a= rea.=0AThe agency is in the process of redesigning flight routes in the reg= ion in order to relieve congestion, Brown said.=0AIn addition, the agency i= s also implementing new software that will reduce the number of flights del= ayed or redirected by bad weather, she said. The software will more accurat= ely target planes that are heading toward bad weather, she said, and will b= e used for both private and commercial flights.=0AThe airlines and FAA, mea= nwhile, are pushing Congress to authorize a multibillion-dollar upgrade of = the nation's air traffic control system. The system still uses analog radar= technology from the 1950s, according to ATA spokeswoman Victoria Day.=0AA = modern replacement would use global-positioning satellites to more accurate= ly coordinate traffic, allowing aircraft to fly closer together.=0ACopyrigh= t 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be = published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. =0APosted 7h 52m ago <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".