New airfare data was released on 29^th Oct 2008 by the federal government underscores, the need is to allow all the airlines access to aviation markets, particularly where the local airports have hourly flight limits, known as caps, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced today.

The Transportation Secretary noted that while average domestic airfares in the second quarter of 2008 are up 8% nationwide, fares at capped airports have increased at a very faster rate. Most noticeably, the regular airfare at Newark Liberty International Airport increased at double the rate, which is up 16%, after caps were put in place in May of this year.

The airfares of the airports with histories of hourly flight caps, like JFK, O'Hare and LaGuardia airports have increased faster than the national average. In the meantime, airfares declined by more than 25% in a single year when a new airline began serving Philadelphia, representing that competition helps keep fares low.

To face the lack of competition, the Department of Transportation has issued rules to allow all carriers access to New York's three capped airports, where physical constraints make it nearly impossible to add new runways. Secretary Peters noted that the hourly caps would be lifted at O'Hare by the end of October.