U.S. to open up military air space for jetliners

By John Crawley

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government will temporarily clear military air space for commercial use to help reduce airline congestion during holiday travel, President George W. Bush said on Thursday.

The modest change is among the measures the Bush administration is taking to try and ease flight delays, especially in the eastern United States where congestion ripples through the system and grounds planes elsewhere.

Delays have worsened this year due to exploding demand and more flights stressing an aging air traffic control system.

In many cases, runways, gate services and other airport facilities have been unable to efficiently handle passenger loads during busy periods.

"Airports are very crowded, travelers are being stranded and flights are being delayed, sometimes with a full load of passengers sitting on the runway for hours. These failures carry some real costs for the country," Bush said at the White House.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department will open coastal air space from Florida to Maine over the busiest five days of Thanksgiving holiday travel, next Wednesday through Sunday.

The step gives air traffic controllers an automatic option for routing flights, most likely in case of bad weather. Usually, the Federal Aviation Administration must negotiate clearance with the military to use its air space on a case-by-case basis.

Thanksgiving is the busiest U.S. travel period of the year. Airlines expect to fly some 27 million people over a 12-day period beginning on Friday -- 4 percent more than last year.