Zach: I still cannot believe how MDW has transformed, and how fast this transformation actually occurred. If I were to be delayed at an airport, I’d much rather be in Chicago than NYC–whatever airport.

Mark: I agree about the relatively efficient trains, but I wish they got rid of the blue line slow zones sooner….

All–let’s hope that the new runway configs will improve the ORD on-time experience… however mroe capacity woudl surely would lead to more flights and just as much delays and frustration in the end.

CF–interesting about the DL having always used the marine terminal at LGA. I didn’t realize that. It is a beautiful building.

ORD sucked after slots were abolished as well, albeit not to this level. The difference is that when they (re)imposed the cap, AA and UA were more or less at parity. With a lower level of animosity between the management of the two carriers, getting them both to the table wasn’t as hard to accomplish.

That’s not the case between DL and B6. Neither one of them is going to willingly come to the table. The Feds will have to force the issue if anything is going to occur, and I just don’t see that happening.

Plus, you have to remember that when slot controls expired at ORD, the terminal was still facility constrained, so the uptick in operations was a little more measured than what’s happening at JFK, where facilities aren’t as hard to come by.

Delta now has to fly its shuttle out of the marine terminal at LGA

They’ve done that for years, and I’m pretty sure it’s on purpose. There’s much less hassle for customers flying out of that historic terminal than the central terminal building.

I’d love to see them make White Plains Airport into a sort of second LaGuardia, but you never hear of this being seriously considered.

They don’t talk about it because, sadly, it won’t happen. They have the “SNA Syndrome” meaning that there are too many rich people around for realistic expansion to happen. They’re talking about Stewart/Newburgh as being the next big guy, but that’s really far away.

During that 13-month stint, however, I probably flew ATA’s LGA-MDW route at least 8 times and was frequently delayed, once sitting on the runway for over 4 hours.

Personally, I think that NYC–not just JFK–really has an aviation crisis on its hands, because all three airports have reached their breaking points (Delta now has to fly its shuttle out of the marine terminal at LGA). Newark is a possible exception, and its far-afield location makes it impractical, especially for short domestic flights (the train takes over an hour because of the impractical “airtrain” connection, and I have spent as much as 3 hours [and $75] in a taxi trying to get from Manhattan to Newark during rush hour).

Although a 4th airport seems unrealistic, I can’t see any other way of truly solving this issue beyond signifacant expansion of the existing fields, and this would be impossible due to space constraints. I’d love to see them make White Plains Airport into a sort of second LaGuardia, but you never hear of this being seriously considered.