The Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) will conduct a public hearing on October 14, 2004, at the Logan Airport Hilton Hotel from 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM to receive public comments on a proposed regulation that would establish a peak period surcharge on operations conducted during designated peak delay periods at Boston Logan International Airport. The hearing is part of the state rulemaking process which Massport initiated in July 2004.

The proposal includes an air carrier schedule monitoring program to project airfield delays during good weather conditions and, if excessive delays are projected to occur, to provide an opportunity sufficiently in advance for the air carriers to modify their schedules so as to eliminate the projected delay conditions. Establishing this peak period demand management program is one part of Massport's comprehensive program to reduce future delays at Logan Airport.

The proposed regulation would enable Massport to charge a fee of $150 for each landing or take-off conducted during designated peak periods, if air carriers do not respond adequately to the monitoring program and over-scheduling persists. If air carrier over-scheduling projected to cause excessive delays occurs within the next three years, the initial peak fee will be $150. Under the proposed program, Massport would also have the ability to adjust this fee should it become necessary to reduce schedule-related delays at Logan Airport in subsequent years.

Over-scheduling is not currently a source of delay at Logan Airport. The surcharge would be imposed in the event that over scheduling becomes a problem in the future.

As part of the final Suffolk Superior Court judgment permitting construction of Runway 14/32 to proceed, Massport was required by the Court to initiate the state rule making process for a demand management program at Logan Airport prior to the commencement of construction.

Massport is also required to compete the rulemaking process and implement a demand management program at Logan Airport prior to the opening of Runway 14/32.

The public comment period for the rulemaking will remain open through 5:00PM November 15, 2004. Massport will conduct a second public hearing on October 19, 2004 from 2:00 PM to 5:00 pm at the Hyannis Courtyard by Marriott in Hyannis. An interpreter for the hearing-impaired will be provided at both scheduled hearings. Written comments may be submitted at any time during the comment period to:

Flavio Leo

Manager, Aviation Planning

Massachusetts Port Authority

One Harborside Drive

East Boston, MA 02128-2909

The complete demand management proposal and proposed rule and Notice of Public Hearings are available in PDF format below:
Proposed Peak Period Surcharge Regulation
Notice Of Public Hearings
(This requires Acrobat Reader to view files.)

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