"Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday said airlines need to shrink th= eir schedules or potentially face government action."=0AWhat, I thought der= egulation meant that any airline can fly anywhere at anytime with a few exc= eptions.=0A------------------------------------------=0A =0AFAA: Airlines n= eed to shrink schedules=0AAssociated Press=0ASept. 11, 2007 05:09 PM =0AWAS= HINGTON - Dogged by record flight delays, the head of the Federal Aviation = Administration on Tuesday said airlines need to shrink their schedules or p= otentially face government action.=0A=0A"The airlines need to take a step b= ack on scheduling practices that are at times out of line with reality," FA= A Administrator Marion Blakey said in prepared remarks at an industry lunch= eon.=0A=0AThe airline industry's on-time performance in the first seven mon= ths of 2007 was its worst since comparable data began being collected in 19= 95, according to government data. =0A=0A=0A=0A=0A=0AU.S. carriers reported = an on-time arrival rate of 69.8 percent in July, the most recent statistics= available, down from 73.7 percent a year ago, according to the Department = of Transportation.=0A=0ABut Mike Boyd, an aviation consultant based in Ever= green, Colo., criticized Blakey and the FAA for not doing more to upgrade a= ir traffic control systems, which he said are ten years out of date.=0A=0A"= The skies are not crowded, the skies are mismanaged by the FAA," he said.= =0A=0ADavid Castelveter, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association, an = industry group, said the airlines' schedules are intended to meet the deman= ds of customers.=0A=0A"The carriers put airplanes where people want to go, = and when they want to fly," he said. "They're not flying empty airplanes."= =0A=0AThe ATA's members include Tempe-based US Airways Group, Continental A= irlines Inc., Delta Air Lines Inc., AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, Southwes= t Airlines Co. and UAL Corp.'s United Airlines <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 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".