The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), which is representing the largest airlines in the United States, has released a statement as a response to the Department’s of Transportation’s criticized proposal to reduce delays at the seriously congested LaGuardia Airport by decreasing the number of flights and auctioning those slots for new competitors.

The government aims to lower the number of planes grounding and taking off from LaGuardia from 75 each hour to 74, but the airlines are against this, since it would cause them to lose up to 20 percent of their existing flights. In addition, these flights would be auctioned, which would create more competition which can lead to lower ticket prices.

"It is truly mystifying, with the airline industry in a financial meltdown due to overwhelming fuel prices, that DOT decides now is the time for a costly economics experiment at LaGuardia. It is even more ridiculous considering the DOT's highly suspect claim of legal authority it has just 'discovered' after decades of concluding the opposite," said ATA President and CEO James C. May, criticizing DOT’s proposal.

DOT came with this possible option in order to relief the most delayed airport last year. If the measures will be imposed, LaGuardia would become the third major airport in New York City to have flights reductions in the recent months.

"The solution to delays in New York is not figuring out how to charge airlines and their passengers more, as DOT proposes, but rather getting on with modernizing the antiquated air traffic control system," May said. "The airlines and the Port Authority have worked in close cooperation with DOT in recommending concrete steps to add capacity and better manage schedule demands. While DOT is moving on 17 of those recommendations, which we appreciate, they are ignoring 60 others while wasting time and precious financial resources in 'experimenting' with increased costs to drive down demand. This proposal means fewer choices, higher costs and a reduction in service to smaller communities. The public does not want that, the Port Authority does not want that, and the airlines do not want that," May said.

"More importantly, what the DOT has proposed will do nothing to reduce delays," May said.