Comment by analog31
3 months ago
I realize it's not a complete or immediate solution, but I wonder how much buses and trains would help. I think about this, in a town with a regional airport, ~ 100 miles from a couple of "hub" airports. Flying to the hub is often slower than driving when all things are considered, and with the risk of delays. A bus or train could work a lot better if the locations of the stations were coordinated, and if there was a coordinated system for handling baggage. And, if the ticketing were consolidated. The bus is never delayed by weather.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted (minus the false claim about buses and weather), if we don’t have enough have enough ATCs to satisfy air traffic demands the other level to pull is to decrease air traffic, either by offering substitutes for cross country travel or just straight up making it more expensive to fly. A flat per flight tax, say a flat ATC fee on each ticket, would marginally decrease demand for air travel and could be used to fund recruiting/retention programs for ATCs. Or call it a public transit fee and use it to subsidize high speed rail and other mass transit.
With apologies to Captain Corcoran, "Well, hardly ever."