SFO-New York LaGuardia nonstops?
http://blog.sfgate.com/cmcginnis/2015/02/27/sfo-new-york-laguardia-nonstops/
I think I might be dreaming, but the Wall Street Journal reported this week that regulators in New York are studying removing the anachronistic “perimeter rules” that forbid most flights from west coast cities from landing at close in and convenient La Guardia airport. (More)
Here’s the nut of that article:
In late 2013, when San Francisco-based Virgin America snagged 12 slots at New York’s popular (but creaky) La Guardia Airport (LGA) I began to wonder if it would launch an effort to get rid of the rules (see post). I suspect both Delta and Virgin would love to add lucrative new routes from their hubs at LAX and SFO as well as other key west coast cities such at Seattle, Las Vegas, Portland or San Diego. American Airlines, with a big presence at both LAX and LGA would likely love to see the rules dumped, too.
Last year Virgin CEO David Cush said that the airline had a few tricks up its sleeves, and I’m wondering now if transcon flights from LAX and SFO to LaGuardia might be one of those tricks. Today, a spokesperson told TravelSkills, “We’re very supportive of the move to lift restrictions at LaGuardia, as long as the process also ensures that smaller and new entrant carriers at that airport have fair access in terms of the potential expansion opportunities.” More
Why not? Similar rules at the federal level that forced long-distance flights to DFW instead of Dallas' Love Field have been eased. This would, however, suck for residents of Queens, who already have to deal with a cacophony of noise from LGA. It has gotten so bad that matches at the U.S. Open tennis tournament in nearby Flushing Meadows have been briefly delayed!