Jay Honeck wrote:
...to fix the airlines?

I mean, really. No politics. No FAA union/management propaganda.
Just the facts, ma'am.

Here's what I *think* I know:

- Major airports (or "hubs") are way over-crowded, beyond capacity
- Minor airports (or "spokes") are becoming over-crowded, too
- GA airports (like Iowa City) are vastly under-utilized

The "solution" I most often hear bandied about is that the airlines
should abandon (or modify) the "hub & spoke" business model (whereby
they have massive centers of activity -- or "hubs" -- feeding the
farther-out "spoke" airports), and start making better use of the
thousands of under-utilized airports in America. In other words,
they should take the service to the people, rather than making the
people come to the service.

This is the model that Vern Raburn and others are trying to create
with the air taxi service, and the Eclipse jet. It is also the model
that worked in America from 1930 to (roughly) 1980.

Of course, IMHO this flies in the face of economic realities.
Although the jury is still out on the Eclipse jet/air taxi model, the
hub & spoke system evolved because it was the most efficient way to
provide cheap transportation to as many people as possible. The fact
that this system has grown beyond the means of the hub airports to
handle the traffic is an indication of its success -- but it still
begs the question: What to do now that the hubs are beyond capacity?

Opinions?

Charge the airlines and anyone else using the overcrowded airports a premium
when they operate at peak times. Let's face it if the ticket rate is the
same if you fly out a 3am or 8am you are generally going to choose 8am.

It is a simple supply and demand problem. That runway is more valuable at
certain times during the day. They ought to charge more to use it then.