WASHINGTON - In testimony before the House Aviation Subcommittee Wednesday and written comments filed earlier this week, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has strongly opposed a proposal by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for the federal government to auction the rights to operate flights at Kennedy International, Newark International and LaGuardia airports.

The auction proposal would harm air travelers at the Port Authority’s airports because it would not increase capacity and ultimately would reduce choices for customers, make flying more expensive, and cut service to small cities that otherwise have no flights to New York City, the Port Authority maintains.

In his testimony, Port Authority Aviation Director William DeCota said an auction plan also does not address the underlying issues of delays and congestion.

"The Administration has chosen to impose an approach that we, as the airport operator, think is not only illegal but also disastrous; that the vast majority of the carriers, including the legacy and low-cost carriers, are opposed to; and that consumers, represented by such groups as the Air Travelers Association and the Business Travelers Coalition, believe will ultimately harm rather than help them," he said. "We are concerned that the Administration’s approach is fundamentally flawed, unworkable, unresponsive to the problem, and disruptive to the airport, to air carriers’ schedules, and ultimately, to the traveling public ... Auctions are not the solution."