Local-Motion

Shame on federal and state officials, as well as the airlines. Because, if the Thanksgiving holiday weekend proved anything it's that officials can actually make the system work if they want to -- they just don't want to. Case in point: Air traffic moved smoothly from Wednesday to Sunday in and out of the major metro-area airports, Kennedy, LaGuardia, Newark-Liberty and Long Island-MacArthur. This, after Pres. George W. Bush opened up previously restricted airspace to help the flow of air traffic and after officials bulked up security staff -- and, airlines bolstered support staff -- to make sure travelers moved through checkpoints steadily and without major snags or delays. The system worked. Most flights went off without a hitch. There were no major reported delays. The was far from the case Monday morning -- the Monday morning after the holiday weekend. After a brief downpour hit the metro-New York area the Federal Aviation Administration was reporting delays of more than three hours into LaGuardia and of more than 1 1/2 hours into Newark-Liberty. There also were departure delays of about a half-hour at both Newark and Kennedy. This is criminal. Officials have shown that they can get these three airports to work well -- if and when they want to. The airlines have shown as much, too. However, in the name of saving a buck all of the agencies and airlines involved in these airport operations have basically told air travelers to stick it -- and have told them they don't care if you're stranded for hours in the terminal. Or not. Of course, if you need to get somewhere you, the traveler, have little choice. Maybe it's time for some local politicians -- how about it, Chuck? -- to seriously investigate this situation and demand the system really be fixed? We're sure that Sen. Charles Schumer could figure out a way to force the airlines and the airport authorities to increase staffing levels in order to make traveling smoother. This is New York, for heaven's sake. It is supposed to be the center of the universe, the heart of the free world. We need to make our airports work. Now. Enough of these so-called "weather" delays. Travelers are being delayed only because the airlines don't care about them and are trying to cut corners on expenses. And so are the airport authorities. It's time to fix this. It's time to call officials on the carpet for this irresponsibility -- and make someone responsible.