Ill DEM says INDEPENDENCE MUST GO!

[FN FAL]

No Meigs, No NFA firearms, No INDEPENDENCE AIR! What's up wit dem dere Illinois Democrats anywho?

Lipinski says new airline will jam skies
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June 18, 2004

WASHINGTON -- As a low-cost Independence Air debuted at O'Hare Airport this week, Rep. William Lipinski (D-Ill.) said the flights will only increase congestion at the airport and asked the Federa Aviation Administration to do something about it.

The airline will use Washington Dulles as a hub and expects to increase from its first six destinations to 36 by the end of the summer.

The company is not really new; it operated regional jets for United and Delta for many years as Atlantic Coast Holdings Inc. After United filed for bankruptcy, the company eventually decided to market itself independently under the Independence Air brand.

Lipinski said in a letter to Transporation Secretary Norman Mineta that recent efforts of the FAA to work with American and United to voluntarily reduce traffic at O'Hare during peak hours is negated by allowing Independence, with its 50-seat jets, to use slots at the airport.

Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) who has opposed the O'Hare expansion that Lipinski has championed in favor of a third airport near Peotone, welcomed the new competition at O'Hare, dominated by American and United. Fitzgerald said Lipinski bears "a large share of the responsibility'' for any O'Hare congestion because he was a driving force behind the decision by Congress to remove federal restrictions on the number of flights that could take off or land at O'Hare.[/font]

 

[jarhead]

The guy is just wrong. IND will replace the airspace formerly occupied by ACA

 

[surplus1]

It might be interesting to discover the level of "contributions" this man's campaign fund receives from companies like UAL and AMR. There may be more to this than airspace congestion. Anyone smell a rat?

 

[Bandit60]

What's up wit dem dere Illinois Democrats anywho?

I grew up in the area and things haven't changed for decades. Illinois democrats are as crooked as they come. Remember this is the city were the dead even vote for the Democrats.

 

[blacksheep]

While he may not be exactly correct about Independence getting the slots that AMR and UAL gave up, he does kinda have a point. I know for a fact that the slots that UAL and AMR did have to give up during the busy morning and afternoon rush periods were in fact re-delegated, mostly to regional airlines, mostly flying smaller planes. So the FAA, in an attempt to reduce T/O and Landing congestion at O'Hare actually reduced the capacity into and out of the airport while not doing a darn thing to reduced congestion. Exact same number of flight ops as before during those peak hours, just different airlines and aircraft.

It seems to me kind of shady for the gov't(FAA) to force UAL and AMR to give up flight slots and then allow them to be doled out again to other airlines...

 

[DGdaPilot]

I grew up in the area and things haven't changed for decades. Illinois democrats are as crooked as they come. Remember this is the city were the dead even vote for the Democrats.

I try to swing in the middle on political issues as much as I can, but you are totally right on that one. The whole state of Illinois is always screwed because they can never outvote the Chicago region.

 

[TWA Dude]

"Illinois Democrats are as crooked as they come"?!!! Sure, except for the Illinois Republicans. Does anyone remember the previous governor and the licensing scandal? That stuff was criminal. And did you notice that Sen. Fitzgerald is against ORD expansion if favor of a third airport? Can you spell P-O-R-K?

 

[Catbert]

[font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]William Lipinski (D-IL), 2002 top contributors. Tied for #2: American Airlines and United Airlines.
[/font]

 

[DGdaPilot]

"Illinois Democrats are as crooked as they come"?!!! Sure, except for the Illinois Republicans. Does anyone remember the previous governor and the licensing scandal? That stuff was criminal. And did you notice that Sen. Fitzgerald is against ORD expansion if favor of a third airport? Can you spell P-O-R-K?

Touché, my friend.

 

[FN FAL]

"Illinois Democrats are as crooked as they come"?!!! Sure, except for the Illinois Republicans. Does anyone remember the previous governor and the licensing scandal? That stuff was criminal. And did you notice that Sen. Fitzgerald is against ORD expansion if favor of a third airport? Can you spell P-O-R-K?

Hehehe, maybe YOU hit the nail on the head...POLITICIANS.

 

[sf3boy]

How can a Democrat be opposed to Independence/ACA? ALPA has told us repeatedly that Democrats only protect and enhance our careers as airline pilots. What say you, ALPA?

 

[Timebuilder]

"Illinois Democrats are as crooked as they come"?!!! Sure, except for the Illinois Republicans. Does anyone remember the previous governor and the licensing scandal? That stuff was criminal. And did you notice that Sen. Fitzgerald is against ORD expansion if favor of a third airport? Can you spell P-O-R-K?

No, but I spell corrupt politicians in Illinois: D-A-L-Y.

A third airport is probably the single best answer to handle the transcontinental traffic that now plagues O'Hare.

 

[FN FAL]

If MKE would get off their butts and lengthen thier 25R-7L and 19L-1R, they could make some money and bring in jobs by taking that overflow...but evidently MKE already has all the money they need.

 

[surplus1]

How can a Democrat be opposed to Independence/ACA? ALPA has told us repeatedly that Democrats only protect and enhance our careers as airline pilots. What say you, ALPA?

Your just confused about which jobs/careers are to be "protected". He's in perfect sinc with ALPA, protect the careers of the legacy pilots at the expense of the careers of the regional pilots. DW will probably send him a letter of commendation.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

The guy is just wrong. IND will replace the airspace formerly occupied by ACA

not if they are operating an entire new schedule, different times, different routes

 

[Indypilot]

not if they are operating an entire new schedule, different times, different routes

Not true, ACAI the company is reducing flights from 140 a day to 12 a day. It doesn't matter what brand name is painted on the side of the airplane, all that matters is what certificate the plane is being operated under. Deregulation happened a long time ago, nobody owns routes. If this guy wants independence out, Ted must also go as they have added flights too. (Ted is to UAL as Independence is to ACAI, as far as cerifitcates go).

 

[FN FAL]

good point

 

[brew3departure]

Daly is the golfer...Daley is the mayor

But who's counting anyways...Fitzgerald is an idiot. Thank goodness he's not running for another term. So much for the "hometown airlines" and all - if I weren't in this industry but still enjoyed aviation, I'd _love_ to see them build that third airport and have it sit - unused - just like Belleville in St. Louis.

Fn Fal - maybe the rich northsiders will drive to MKE to travel, but the rest of the traveling public won't. Keep dreamin'. Aren't the runways long enough already?

-brew3

 

[cale42]

Anyway who truly supports the third airport has apparently never actually live and flown from Chicago on a regular basis. Peotone is a 30 minute drive from the south suburbs a 70 minute drive from the city and nearly a 2 hour drive from the north suburbs... in average Chicago traffic. No one will use that.. hell people from the Northside won't even go to Midway. There are 2 airports with appropriate facilities for large scale passenger traffic 90 minutes from downtown (Rockford and Milwaukee) and they can't get any airlines to look at them all that seriously. The simple fact is the majority of the ppl from Chicagoland want to go to O'Hare.. and will stubbornly stick to that.. so just expand the **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** place..

 

[TWA Dude]

No, but I spell corrupt politicians in Illinois: D-A-L-Y.

A third airport is probably the single best answer to handle the transcontinental traffic that now plagues O'Hare.

Well, with Daly I can't disagree with you. I voted for him once but never again (disregarding the fact that I've moved out of Chicago).

A third airport? Lemme guess: if they build it the airlines will come? I don't think so. Why build a new airport when expanding capacity at an existing one will work and save $billions$? The only people who think a third Chicago airport in the far-south burbs will work are the politicians who're drooling over the usual constuction kickbacks, Republican and Democrat alike. The only way I'd support an airport in Peotone is if MDW was closed and that ain't gonna happen (new terminal and trainline). It's pork.

Dude