Recent Blog Posts

LET THE RICH PAY TAXES

Lucas — Sat, 25 May 2013 15:00:00 GMT

45% Favor Candidate Who'd Raise Taxes on the Rich Over One Opposed to Tax Hikes

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Voters generally believe tax increases hurt the economy, but they're slightly more inclined to vote for a candidate who would raise taxes only on the wealthy over one who would oppose all tax increases. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for a candidate who would raise taxes only on the rich. Forty-one percent (41%) would vote for a candidate who promised to oppose all tax hikes instead. Fourteen percent (14%) are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on May 21-22, 2013 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

DEAR SPEAKER QUINN

Lucas — Sat, 25 May 2013 01:00:00 GMT

Came across this sign on a street vendor's cart:

Dear Speaker Quinn,

Street vendors are small business owners.

Please call a vote to lower the fines.

We receive $1000 fines we can not afford.

A majority of City Council supports this idea.

You have the power to make a difference.

Please help us!

ME & CIN @ UNCLE JACK'S

Lucas — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:45:00 GMT

Cindy Miller and I savor a tawny port at Uncle Jack's Steakhouse.

SPACE BALLOON

Lucas — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:30:00 GMT

Launching Balloons to Study Space Weather

In Antarctica in January, 2013 – the summer at the South Pole – scientists released 20 balloons, each eight stories tall, into the air to help answer an enduring space weather question: when the giant radiation belts surrounding Earth lose material, where do the extra particles actually go?

This NASA-funded mission is called BARREL, for Balloon Array for Radiation belt Relativistic Electron Losses. Each balloon launched by the BARREL team floated for anywhere from three to 40 days, measuring X-rays produced by fast-moving electrons high up in the atmosphere.

BARREL works hand in hand with another NASA mission called the Van Allen Probes, which travels directly through the Van Allen radiation belts. The belts wax and wane over time in response to incoming energy and material from the sun, sometimes intensifying the radiation through which satellites orbiting Earth must travel. Scientists need to understand this process better, and even provide forecasts of such space weather, in order to protect our spacecraft.

› Read More

Image Credit: NASA

GOV. SCOTT WALKER'S SUMMER BASH

Lucas — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Tickets and table sponsorships on sale NOW. Call our California office at 310-478-0752 to reserve your seats!

THINK ABOUT YOUR KIDS' KIDNEYS

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:30:00 GMT

Kids’ kidneys and smoke

Take the Next Step
Smoking and Your Health

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Smoking can damage adults’ kidneys – and a study of teens finds even secondhand smoke can damage theirs. At Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Ana Navas-Acien analyzed data on about 7,500 12- to 17-year-olds. She looked at whether they said they smoked, and at blood chemicals that indicated how much tobacco they had been exposed to – theirs or second-hand. And she looked at their kidney function.

Navas-Acien says smokers had worse kidney health, but even second-hand smoke seemed to have an effect:

“Increasing levels of second-hand smoke exposure were related to worse kidney health.”

She says teens shouldn’t smoke, and can ask adults not to smoke around them.

The study in the journal Pediatrics was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

CCC'S LUNCH WITH SCHNEIDERMAN

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Please join the

Richard M. Aborn, President

and

NY Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman

For a special lunch event

hosted by our Lawyers Council

Gibson Dunn

200 Park Avenue, 46th Floor

New York, NY 10166

Wednesday, June 5th

12:00 PM

Lawyers Council Members:

Sean Coffey

Law Office of John P. Coffey, Founder

John V. Connorton, Jr.

Hawkins, Delafield & Wood, Partner

Nicholas Gravante, Jr.

Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, General Counsel

Harry Sandick

Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler, Partner

Samuel W. Seymour

Sullivan & Cromwell, Partner

Stuart Shorenstein

Cozen O'Connor, Partner

Orin Snyder

Gibson Dunn, Partner

Eric Tirschwell

Kramer Levin, Partner

$5,000 Event Chair

$2,500 Host

$1,000 Co-Host

$250 Attendee

$100 Associate

Please RSVP to Matt Everett at (646) 559-9946 or matt@bhstrategiesllc.com

The Crime Commission is a non-partisan non-profit organization working to make New York City's criminal justice and public safety policies and practices more effective through innovation, research, and education. For more information on the Citizens Crime Commission of New York City, please visit our website: www.nycrimecommission.org

JOIN SENATOR SKELOS IN THE LIVINGROOM

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:45:00 GMT

We cordially invite you to a reception celebrating the achievements of the Brooklyn (Kings County) Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Thursday, May 30, 2013 from 6:00-9:00 PM. With Special Guest Dean G. Skelos, New York State Senator and Temporary President and Majority Coalition Leader

Entertainment By: THE BENNY LOPEZ CONJUNTO

Livingroom Lounge, 2402 86th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11214

Sponsorship Opportunities
Platinum Sponsor: $2,500
Gold Sponsor: $1,500
Silver Sponsor: $1,000
Individual Ticket: $100

For more information contact: 718-714-7146 or brooklynhcc@aol.com

To reserve your space now click here: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6566774399

GET ABOVE THE BAR

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:30:00 GMT

ANOTHER $3.7 BILLION FOR NY & NJ

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:15:00 GMT

U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces $3.7 Billion in Additional Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Aid for Transit Agencies

$1.3 billion will help hardest-hit NY, NJ agencies deal with future disasters

Yesterday, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced an additional $3.7 billion in disaster relief funds to help the four major transit agencies in New York and New Jersey that sustained the greatest damage from Hurricane Sandy.

In addition to supporting ongoing post-storm recovery work, nearly one-third of the money, made available through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Emergency Relief Program, is set aside to help the agencies begin investing in resiliency projects to help ensure that their transit assets – from trains and buses to stations and subway tunnels – are better able to withstand future disasters, such as major floods.

"We continue to work closely with the transit agencies hit hardest by Hurricane Sandy to ensure they can recover from this terrible disaster and emerge stronger than before," said Secretary LaHood. "The millions of riders in New York and New Jersey deserve a robust public transportation network that can deliver the service they depend on every day."

A notice published in the Federal Register next week (on view here) will provide a breakdown of how the funds are allocated to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of New York, the New York City Department of Transportation, New Jersey Transit and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Of the $3.7 billion in disaster relief funds announced today, $2.4 billion is allocated for recovery and rebuilding projects, while $1.3 billion is dedicated to increasing the transit systems' resiliency in the face of future disasters.

Today's announcement of $3.7 billion in disaster assistance brings the total dollars allocated by FTA so far for all Sandy recovery activities to $5.7 billion, and is just the latest step by the administration to support the ongoing recovery of the communities impacted. Beyond the funds provided by FTA, the administration has provided over $5.4 billion in community development block grants and over $1.3 billion in FEMA assistance provided directly to impacted families, covering eligible repair costs and meeting temporary housing needs, as well as over $1 billion in FEMA funds to support state and local rebuilding efforts.

Before submitting grant applications for the newly announced funds, the transit agencies are required to develop a list of eligible projects and work with FTA to meet eligibility requirements.

"We have learned from the back-to-back impacts of Hurricanes Irene and Sandy that it is vitally important to prepare for the future," said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff. "Investing in the strength of the region's transit infrastructure now will help reduce the impact of travel delays, disruptions, and economic losses when the next big storm hits."

Examples of resiliency projects may include elevating storm drains to reduce the volume of water that pours into stations below street level, installing higher capacity water pumps and installing back-up sources of power for lighting, flood pumps and other necessities. Because a significant portion of the seriously damaged transit infrastructure was already aging and technically obsolete, FTA will fund repair and replacement projects that bring transit assets up to a state of good repair.

The FY 2013 Disaster Relief Appropriations Act authorized $10.9 billion in recovery assistance for transit agencies adversely affected by Hurricane Sandy, which was the worst transit-related disaster in U.S. history, affecting roughly one-third of all transit riders. This amount was reduced by 5 percent, or $545 million, because of the mandatory sequestration budget cut that took effect on March 1. The funds are administered by FTA through its new Emergency Relief Program under the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21^st Century Act (MAP-21).

In March, FTA announced the allocation of the first $2 billion of these funds, which included $576.6 million to affected agencies based on specific emergency response and recovery costs incurred or budgeted to date and $1.4 billion primarily to assist the four transit agencies named above as the most severely affected, based on their projected overall recovery costs.

FTA will continue to work with the affected transit agencies and will make additional Disaster Relief Act funds available for additional recovery and resiliency projects on a competitive basis in the future.

Additional information on FTA's Emergency Relief Program and Hurricane Sandy-related financial assistance is available here.

CUP'S MAYORAL FORUM

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 22:00:00 GMT

The Council of Urban Professionals

Cordially Invites You To Attend Our

New York City Mayoral Forum

Moderated By:

Sally Kohn

Columnist for Salon & Progressive Fox News Commentator

Confirmed Participants:

(All candidates invited- list in formation)

Adolfo Carrión, Jr.

Former Bronx Borough President

John Liu

New York City Comptroller

Bill Thompson

Former New York City Comptroller

Christine C. Quinn

New York City Council Speaker

CUP is a nonpartisan non-profit organization, whose mission is to connect, empower, and mobilize the next generation of diverse business and civic leaders.

Monday, June 3, 2013

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Hosted By:

KIRKLAND & ELLIS

601 Lexington Avenue (Between 53rd & 54th Streets)

50th Floor Conference Center, New York City

Candidates will discuss critical topics of the mayoral campaign and the impact on our communities and businesses.

____________________________________________________________________

RSVP IS REQUIRED

CUP Executive Members Free/ CUP Members $25/ Non-CUP Members $50

Click Here to RSVP

JUDGE LEBOVITS MAKES SENSE (OF NONSENSE)

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:30:00 GMT

Making Sense of Nonsense: Some Unusual Real-Estate Cases

Newman Ferrara LLP, 1250 Broadway, NY, NY
Wednesday, June 12, 2013 -- 6 – 8:00 pm

Moderator:
Pace Law Professor Randolph M. McLaughlin

Instructors:
Lucas Ferrara, Esq., Newman Ferrara LLP
Hon. Gerald Lebovits, Judge, New York City Civil Court
Glenn Spiegel, Esq., Newman Ferrara LLP

This class examines some of New York’s most controversial real-estate cases. The presenters will look at precedent and examine the procedural and substantive challenges posed by these decisions.

Registration Information:

Pre-registration Required. No Charge for this event. First Come/First Seated. No Walk-ins.

CLE: 2 Skills Credits

BRONX GETS GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:15:00 GMT

Department of Environmental Protection Completes Green Infrastructure Project in the Bronx That Will Improve Water Quality in the Hutchinson River

The Neighborhood-Scale Demonstration Project Will Beautify the Neighborhood and Provide Valuable Data about How Green Infrastructure Can Help Reduce Combined Sewer Overflows

Yesterday, New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Carter Strickland announced that the recently completed installation of green infrastructure in the Edenwald section of the Bronx will prevent nearly 2 million gallons of stormwater from reaching the combined sewer system each year and thereby improve the health and cleanliness of the Hutchinson River and New York Harbor. As part of the $300,000 project, DEP worked with the Department of Parks and Recreation to build 22 bioswales, curbside gardens that are specially designed to collect and absorb stormwater, along Schiefflin Avenue between East 226th Drive and East 229th Street. The cluster was installed in a defined area that drains to a single sewer pipe in which flow meters were installed to measure the amount of stormwater before construction, and after green infrastructure began to manage stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces such as roadways, sidewalks, and rooftops. Pre-construction d ata was collected for 14 months and post-construction data will be collected for one year.

"In order to improve the health of local waterways we have to better manage the stormwater that falls on city streets, sidewalks, parking lots, and rooftops" said Commissioner Strickland. "This green infrastructure installation will collect and absorb stormwater, which will improve the cleanliness of the Hutchinson River, while also greening the neighborhood, providing shade in the summer months, and cleaning the air. The important data we collect will quantify the reduction in pollution and will support our water quality planning efforts."

The Neighborhood Demonstration Area is the second of three to be completed pursuant to a March 2012 Modified Consent Order with The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), which formalized the City's inclusion of green infrastructure as an important component of its plan to reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into local waterways and improve the ecological health and cleanliness of New York City harbor water. A similar green infrastructure installation in the Jamaica Bay tributary area was completed in December 2012 and a Newtown Creek cluster will be finished in the coming weeks.

"Converting the city's impervious neighborhoods to a more natural and absorbent landscape integrates water quality and ecological benefits for cleaner waterways and a more sustainable community," said DEC Commissioner Joe Martens. "NYSDEC continues to enthusiastically support GI demonstration projects, like this one in Edenwald as they provide the City an opportunity to monitor the performance of bioswales and curbside gardens constructed under the 2012 Modified Consent Order to determine their cost effectiveness as adaptable elements of the City's CSO Long Term Control Plans."

"One of our goals has been to reduce our carbon footprint and clean the environment, and the benefits of this green infrastructure project to our community are numerous," said Father Richard Gorman, Chairman of Bronx Community Board 12. "This project will absorb stormwater, clean the Hutchinson River, and make our environment cleaner while improving our quality of life.

Bioswales resemble standard street tree pits but they are significantly larger, have curb cuts that allow stormwater to enter and exit, and have been designed in a way that will allow each one to manage approximately 2,244 gallons of street and sidewalk runoff during a storm. During construction they were excavated to a depth of five feet and were backfilled with layers of broken stone and engineered soil. These layers contain void spaces which store stormwater and promote infiltration. The addition of hardy plants will further encourage infiltration through root growth and increase the capacity of the bioswale through evapotranspiration. DEP provides funding for Department of Parks and Recreation crews to maintain all bioswales. To view a video of a bioswale absorbing stormwater go here.

The Neighborhood Demonstration Areas, including the one in Edenwald, were developed in order to collect and analyze data on actual combined sewer flow measurements before and after green infrastructure projects were installed in a defined area, and the other associated benefits of the installations on a multi-block scale. The data collected from each of the three Demonstration Areas will then be extrapolated for calculating and modeling green infrastructure water quality and cost-benefit data on a waterbody and citywide basis. DEP also continues to collect data on a project-level basis to quantify the stormwater reduction from individual green roofs, blue roofs, bioswales, and other decentralized stormwater controls. View the 2012 Green Infrastructure Annual Report here.

The Edenwald Demonstration Area is located within and adjacent to the Edenwald Houses, the largest New York City Housing Authority development in the Bronx. Approximately 7,750 people living within the Demonstration Area will benefit from a larger tree canopy as well as improved street drainage during rainstorms. The approximately 24 acre drainage area is served by combined sewers which all drain to a single point, located near the intersection of Schieffelin Avenue and East 229th Street, where they connect to a single 36-inch sewer that conveys both sanitary and stormwater flow towards the Hunts Point Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Prior to the installation of the green infrastructure, in March 2012, DEP installed depth and flow meter devices in the sewer pipe where it exits the demonstration area at Schiefflin Avenue and East 229th Street. Normal and peak flow levels have been collected continuously in the sewer pipe over the last fourteen months to provide pre-construction, or baseline, flow data. Now that the green infrastructure projects are complete, the pre-construction flow data will be compared to the post-construction flow data. This comparison analysis will allow DEP to determine how much stormwater the green infrastructure is keeping out of the sewer system during wet weather.

Since 2002, DEP has invested more than $10 billion in upgrades to wastewater treatment plants and related efforts to reduce CSOs and the cleanliness and health of New York City harbor water continues to improve to levels not seen in more than a century. However, CSOs remain the city's major harbor water quality challenge. As further "grey" infrastructure upgrades became increasingly expensive and the resulting level of water quality improvements diminished, in 2010 DEP launched the Green Infrastructure Plan, an alternative approach to improving water quality that combines traditional infrastructure upgrades and the integration of green infrastructure to capture and retain stormwater runoff before it ever enters the sewer system. Over the next 20 years, DEP is planning for $2.4 billion in public and private funding for targeted green infrastructure installations, as well as $2.9 billion in cost-effective grey infrastructure upgrades, to significantly reduc e CSOs. Thus far, DEP has installed 119 bioswales city-wide, hundreds more will be completed by the end of the year, and thousands will be added over the next five years.

DEP manages New York City's water supply, providing more than one billion gallons of water each day to more than nine million residents, including eight million in New York City. The water is delivered from a watershed that extends more than 125 miles from the city, comprising 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts bring water to homes and businesses throughout the five boroughs, and 7,500 miles of sewer lines and 96 pump stations take wastewater to 14 in-city treatment plants. DEP has nearly 6,000 employees, including almost 1,000 in the upstate watershed. In addition, DEP has a robust capital program, with a planned $14 billion in investments over the next 10 years that will create up to 3,000 construction-related jobs per year. This capital program is responsible for critical projects like City Water Tunnel No. 3; the Staten Island Bluebelt program, an ecologically sound and cost-effective stormwat er management system; the city's Watershed Protection Program, which protects sensitive lands upstate near the city's reservoirs in order to maintain their high water quality; and the installation of more than 820,000 Automated Meter Reading devices, which will allow customers to track their daily water use, more easily manage their accounts and be alerted to potential leaks on their properties. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dep, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/nycwater, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/nycwater.

UNFOUNDED OF THE FOUNDERS?

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:00:00 GMT

EEOC Files Class Genetic Information Discrimination Suit Against Corning Rehab Center

Founders Pavilion Violated Federal Law by Asking for Genetic Information From Applicants and Employees, Federal Agency Charges

The Founders Pavilion, Inc., a Corning, N.Y., nursing and rehabilitation center, violated federal law by asking for genetic information during the hiring process, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a recently filed lawsuit. The EEOC also alleged that Founders violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

According to the EEOC's suit, Founders conducted post-offer, pre-employment medical exams of applicants, which were repeated annually if the person was hired. As part of this exam, Founders requested family medical history, a form of prohibited genetic information.

Such alleged conduct violates the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA), passed by Congress in 2008 and enforced by the EEOC. GINA prevents employers from demanding genetic information, including family medical history, and using that information in the hiring process. The EEOC filed suit (Case No. 6:13-cv-06250) in U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York in Rochester after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The Founders suit is the second ever GINA lawsuit filed by the EEOC, following a complaint and consent decree filed in Tulsa, Okla., last week against Fabricut, Inc.

The EEOC further charged that Founders fired one employee after it refused to accommodate her during her probationary period,in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Further, the lawsuit also charged that Founders fired two women because of perceived disabilities under the ADA, and either refused to hire or fired three women because they were pregnant, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

GINA applies whenever an employer conducts a medical exam, and employers must make sure that they or their agents do not violate the law," said Elizabeth Grossman, the regional attorney in the EEOC's New York District Office. "Here, not only did the employer ask for prohibited information, it also discriminated against individuals with disabilities or perceived disabilities as well as pregnant women."

Kevin Berry, the EEOC's district director in New York, added, "Congress's intent is clear: employers cannot obtain genetic information from applicants or employees."

One of the six national priorities identified by the EEOC's Strategic Enforcement Plan (SEP) is for the agency to address emerging and developing issues in equal employment law, which includes genetic discrimination.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

FEBRUARY: FEWER FLEW

Lucas — Fri, 24 May 2013 20:30:00 GMT

BTS Releases February 2013 U.S. Airline Traffic Data;

System Passengers Down 1.2% from February 2012

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported this week that U.S. airlines carried 52.5 million scheduled systemwide passengers in February 2013, 1.2 percent less than in February 2012. The systemwide decrease was the result of a 1.5 percent decrease in the number of domestic passengers (45.7 million) and a 0.7 percent increase in international passengers (6.8 million) (Tables 1, 7, 13).

BTS, a part of the Department's Research and Innovative Technology Administration, reported that U.S. airlines carried 0.2 percent more total system (domestic + international) passengers during the first two months of 2013 (107.8 million) than during the same period in 2012 (Table 2). Domestically, U.S. airlines carried 93.5 million passengers, unchanged from 2012 (Table 8). Internationally, they carried 14.3 million passengers, up 1.6 percent from 2012 (Table 14). See Tables 2, 8 and 14 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous-year data.

The system load factor of 79.2 percent, the domestic load factor of 81.0 percent and the international load factor of 75.8 percent were record highs for the month of February (Tables 1, 7, 13).

Additional traffic data can be found on the BTS Airlines and Airports page. Click on a link in the Quick Links box on the right. For more historical data, see Traffic on the BTS website.

Load Factor and Capacity

The February system and domestic load factor records topped the previous highs set in February 2012 following year-to-year capacity cuts for both system (-3.2 percent) and domestic (-2.6 percent) (Tables 1, 7). In February, for the third consecutive month, international capacity declined from the same month of the previous year. The capacity decline combined with an RPM increase from February 2012 resulted in a record international load factor for the month of February, surpassing the previous high set in February 2010 (Table 13). Load factor is a measure of the use of aircraft capacity that compares RPMs as a proportion of ASMs. See Tables 1, 7 and 13 of Air Traffic Press Releases for previous-year data.

Top Airlines

Monthly: In February, Delta Air Lines carried more system passengers than any other U.S. airline (Table 4). Southwest Airlines carried the most domestic passengers (Table 10). United Airlines carried the most international passengers (Table 16). The top 10 U.S. airlines in terms of number of passengers carried 80.4 percent of systemwide passengers, up from 79.7 percent carried by the U.S. airlines that were in the top 10 in February 2012.

Year-to-date: During the first two months of 2013, Delta carried more system passengers than any other U.S. airline (Table 3) and Southwest carried the most domestic passengers (Table 9). United carried the most international passengers (Table 15). The top 10 U.S. airlines carried 80.5 percent of systemwide passengers, up from 79.7 percent carried by the U.S. airlines that were in the top 10 during the first two months of 2012.

Southwest and AirTran Airways are reporting as separate carriers with the exception of their financial reports. They have one FAA SOC (single operating certificate), requiring that they utilize the same safety/operating procedures, but they have separate DOT 401 economic certificates, meaning they remain operating as separate economic entities.

Top Airports

Monthly: In February, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 6, 12); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami than at any other U.S. airport (Table 18).

Year-to-date: During the first two months of 2013, more total system and domestic passengers boarded planes at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson than at any other U.S. airport (Tables 5 and 11); and more international passengers boarded U.S. carriers at Miami than at any other U.S. airport (Table 17).

Reporting Notes

Data are compiled from monthly reports filed with BTS by commercial U.S. air carriers detailing operations, passenger traffic and freight traffic. This release includes data received by BTS from 77 carriers as of May 9 for U.S. carrier scheduled civilian operations. Go to http://www.transtats.bts.gov/releaseinfo.asp for the complete list of reporting and non-reporting carriers. U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights are included in system and international totals. To create a customized table for passengers, flights, RPMs, ASMs and other data, including non-scheduled service, go to http://apps.bts.gov/xml/air_traffic/src/index.xml#CustomizeTable

For additional scheduled service numbers for U.S. airlines, U.S. and foreign airlines, by airline and by airport, see Passengers, Flights, Revenue Passenger-Miles, Available Seat-Miles and Load Factor.

Traffic numbers are available on the BTS website at TranStats, the Intermodal Transportation Database, at http://transtats.bts.gov. Click on "Aviation." For system passengers, RPMs and ASMs by carrier through February, click on "Air Carrier Summary Data (Form 41 and 298C Summary Data)," and then click on "Schedule T-1." Use crosstabs to find scheduled service.

For domestic numbers through February and international numbers through November by origin as well as by carrier, after clicking on "Aviation," click on "Air Carrier Statistics (Form 41 Traffic)." Click on "T-100 Market" for system passenger numbers, "T-100 Domestic Market" for domestic or "T-100 International Market" for international. For flights, stage length and trip length, use the appropriate T-100 Segment database. Use crosstabs to find scheduled service.

International totals in this press release consist of all U.S. carrier operations to and from the U.S. and from one foreign point to another foreign point. TranStats T-100 system and international totals do not include U.S. carriers' foreign point-to-point flights. For February, U.S. carriers reported 188,235 foreign point-to-point passengers. For January through February, U.S. carriers reported 387,065 foreign point-to-point passengers.

Data are subject to revision. BTS has scheduled June 20 for the release of March traffic data.

Table 1. Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Airline Travel on U.S. Airlines

	Monthly			Year-to-Date
	Feb 2012	Feb 2013	Change %	2012	2013	Change %
Passengers (in millions)	53.1	52.5	-1.2	107.6	107.8	0.2
Flights (in thousands)	713.7	671.3	-5.9	1,461.1	1,403.3	-4.0
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions)	57.5	57.5	0.1	118.5	120.0	1.2
Available Seat-Miles (in billions)	75.0	72.6	-3.2	153.7	151.8	-1.2
Load Factor*	76.7	79.2	2.5	77.1	79.1	2.0
Flight Stage Length**	746.4	761.0	2.0	746.9	761.2	1.9
Passenger Trip Length***	1,081.6	1,096.0	1.3	1,102.0	1,112.5	1.0

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market and Segment

* Change in load factor points

** The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 2. Total System (Domestic and International) Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
	2011	2012	2011-2012 Pct. Change	2013	2012-2013 Pct. Change
January	53.7	54.4	1.4	55.3	1.6
February	50.1	53.1	6.1	52.5	-1.2
March	63.6	64.5	1.4
April	60.5	61.5	1.6
May	63.9	63.7	-0.3
June	66.2	66.6	0.6
July	69.9	69.2	-1.0
August	66.3	67.8	2.2
September	58.1	57.4	-1.1
October	61.2	60.8	-0.6
November	58.3	58.7	0.8
December	59.1	58.9	-0.3
2 Mo Total	103.8	107.6	3.7	107.8	0.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 3. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-February 2013 Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Jan-Feb 2013 Rank	Carrier	Jan-Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers	Jan-Feb 2012 Rank	Jan-Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers	Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Delta	16.571	2	15.939	4.0
2	Southwest*	15.939	1	16.220	-1.7
3	American	13.337	4	13.186	1.1
4	United	13.280	3	13.619	-2.5
5	US Airways	8.774	5	8.439	4.0
6	ExpressJet	4.651	6	4.545	2.3
7	JetBlue	4.546	7	4.284	6.1
8	SkyWest	4.077	8	3.704	10.1
9	Alaska	2.849	10	2.689	5.9
10	AirTran	2.735	9	3.200	-14.5

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* Southwest and AirTran are reporting as separate carriers with the exception of the financials. They have one FAA SOC (single operating certificate), requiring that they utilize the same safety/operating procedures, but they have separate DOT 401 economic certificates, meaning they are operating as separate economic entities.

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 4. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by February 2013 Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Feb 2013 Rank	Carrier	Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Feb 2012 Rank		Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Delta	8.063	2		7.855		2.7
2	Southwest*	7.892	1		8.050		-2.0
3	United	6.363	3		6.659		-4.4
4	American	6.360	4		6.415		-0.9
5	US Airways	4.398	5		4.147		6.1
6	ExpressJet	2.261	6		2.315		-2.3
7	JetBlue	2.162	7		2.121		2.0
8	SkyWest	1.991	8		1.839		8.3
9	Alaska	1.374	11		1.338		2.6
10	AirTran	1.354	9		1.597		-15.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 5. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-February 2013 Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Enplanements on U.S. Airlines*
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Jan-Feb 2013 Rank	Airport	Jan-Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers	Jan-Feb 2012 Rank	Jan-Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers	Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Atlanta	6.433	1	6.373	0.9
2	Dallas/Fort Worth	4.285	3	4.029	6.4
3	Chicago O'Hare	4.143	2	4.179	-0.9
4	Denver	3.705	4	3.671	0.9
5	Los Angeles	3.582	5	3.635	-1.5
6	Charlotte	3.186	7	3.005	6.0
7	Phoenix	3.029	6	3.009	0.7
8	Las Vegas	2.694	8	2.791	-3.5
9	Houston Bush	2.690	9	2.729	-1.4
10	San Francisco	2.554	10	2.575	-0.8

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 6. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by February 2013 Scheduled System (Domestic and International) Enplanements on U.S. Airlines*
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Feb 2013 Rank	Airport	Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers	Feb 2012 Rank	Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers	Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Atlanta	3.140	1	3.179	-1.2
2	Dallas/Fort Worth	2.093	3	1.995	4.9
3	Chicago O'Hare	2.006	2	2.100	-4.4
4	Denver	1.774	4	1.798	-1.3
5	Los Angeles	1.719	5	1.767	-2.7
6	Charlotte	1.595	7	1.484	7.5
7	Phoenix	1.521	6	1.485	2.4
8	Las Vegas	1.305	8	1.362	-4.2
9	Houston Bush	1.296	9	1.328	-2.4
10	San Francisco	1.251	10	1.266	-1.2

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Market

* Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 7. Domestic Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. Airlines

	Monthly			Year-to-Date
	Feb 2012	Feb 2013	Change %	2012	2013	Change %
Passengers (in millions)	46.4	45.7	-1.5	93.5	93.5	0.0
Flights (in thousands)	647.3	607.0	-6.2	1,325.0	1,268.8	-4.2
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions)	40.5	40.4	-0.3	82.1	83.1	1.1
Available Seat-Miles (in billions)	51.3	49.9	-2.6	104.7	104.1	-0.6
Load Factor*	78.9	81.0	2.1	78.4	79.8	1.4
Flight Stage Length**	638.4	653.2	2.3	638.1	652.6	2.3
Passenger Trip Length***	871.4	882.5	1.3	878.3	888.1	1.1

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market and Segment

* Change in load factor points

** The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 8. Domestic Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
	2011	2012	2011-2012 Pct. Change	2013	2012-2013 Pct. Change
January	46.3	47.1	1.7	47.8	1.5
February	43.7	46.4	6.4	45.7	-1.5
March	55.6	56.2	1.0
April	52.9	53.7	1.6
May	56.0	55.7	-0.4
June	57.8	57.9	0.2
July	60.3	59.7	-1.0
August	57.4	58.6	2.2
September	51.0	50.1	-1.7
October	54.1	53.7	-0.8
November	51.7	51.8	0.4
December	51.5	51.2	-0.7
2 Mo. Total	90.0	93.5	3.9	93.5	0.0

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 9. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-February 2013 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Jan-Feb 2013 Rank	Carrier	Jan-Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Jan-Feb 2012 Rank		Jan-Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Southwest*	15.939	1		16.220		-1.7
2	Delta	13.596	2		13.007		4.5
3	American	10.018	4		9.865		1.6
4	United	9.640	3		9.903		-2.7
5	US Airways	7.746	5		7.473		3.7
6	ExpressJet	4.208	6		4.161		1.1
7	JetBlue	3.893	7		3.695		5.4
8	SkyWest	3.864	8		3.517		9.9
9	Alaska	2.545	11		2.369		7.4
10	AirTran	2.502	9		3.024		-17.3

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 10. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by February 2013 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
February 2013 Rank	Carrier	February 2013 Enplaned Passengers		February 2012 Rank		February 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Southwest*	7.892	1		8.050		-2.0
2	Delta	6.651	2		6.462		2.9
3	American	4.822	4		4.868		-0.9
4	United	4.686	3		4.919		-4.7
5	US Airways	3.887	5		3.682		5.6
6	ExpressJet	2.050	6		2.122		-3.4
7	SkyWest	1.886	8		1.746		8.0
8	JetBlue	1.852	7		1.831		1.1
9	AirTran	1.237	9		1.507		-18.0
10	Alaska	1.228	11		1.182		3.9

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 11. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-February 2013 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Jan-Feb 2013 Rank	Airport	Jan-Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Jan-Feb 2012 Rank		Jan-Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Atlanta	5.835	1		5.775		1.0
2	Dallas/Fort Worth	3.906	3		3.685		6.0
3	Chicago O'Hare	3.753	2		3.783		-0.8
4	Denver	3.603	4		3.570		0.9
5	Los Angeles	3.298	5		3.333		-1.1
6	Charlotte	2.988	7		2.817		6.1
7	Phoenix	2.894	6		2.874		0.7
8	Las Vegas	2.691	8		2.788		-3.5
9	Orlando	2.390	9		2.469		-3.2
10	San Francisco	2.307	10		2.332		-1.1

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 12. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by February 2013 Domestic Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
Feb 2013 Rank	Airport	Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Feb 2012 Rank		Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Atlanta	2.850	1		2.889		-1.4
2	Dallas/Fort Worth	1.912	3		1.830		4.5
3	Chicago O'Hare	1.825	2		1.913		-4.6
4	Denver	1.723	4		1.746		-1.3
5	Los Angeles	1.583	5		1.621		-2.3
6	Charlotte	1.492	7		1.390		7.3
7	Phoenix	1.450	6		1.419		2.2
8	Las Vegas	1.303	8		1.361		-4.2
9	Orlando	1.158	9		1.221		-5.2
10	San Francisco	1.132	10		1.148		-1.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 Domestic Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 13. International Scheduled Airline Travel on U.S. Airlines

	Monthly			Year-to-Date
	Feb 2012	Feb 2013	Change %	2012	2013	Change %
Passengers (in millions)	6.7	6.8	0.7	14.1	14.3	1.6
Flights (in thousands)	66.4	64.3	-3.2	136.1	134.5	-1.1
Revenue Passenger Miles (in billions)	17.0	17.2	0.9	36.4	36.9	1.3
Available Seat-Miles (in billions)	23.8	22.7	-4.4	49.0	47.7	-2.6
Load Factor*	71.4	75.8	4.4	74.3	77.4	3.1
Flight Stage Length**	1,799.0	1,778.3	-1.1	1,805.8	1,786.0	-1.1
Passenger Trip Length***	2,537.5	2,542.3	0.2	2,589.0	2,582.4	-0.3

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market and Segment

* Change in load factor points

** The average non-stop distance flown per departure in miles

*** The average distance flown per passenger in miles

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 14. International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines
Passenger numbers in millions (000,000)
	2011	2012	2011-2012 Pct. Change	2013	2012-2013 Pct. Change
January	7.4	7.4	-0.3	7.5	2.3
February	6.4	6.7	4.4	6.8	0.7
March	7.9	8.3	4.2
April	7.7	7.8	1.7
May	7.9	7.9	0.7
June	8.5	8.7	2.8
July	9.6	9.5	-1.0
August	8.9	9.1	2.4
September	7.1	7.3	2.8
October	7.1	7.2	1.0
November	6.6	6.9	4.3
December	7.5	7.7	2.3
2 Mo. Total	13.8	14.1	1.9	14.3	1.6

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 15. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by January-February 2013 International Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in thousands (000)
Jan-Feb 2013 Rank	Carrier	Jan-Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Jan-Feb 2012 Rank		Jan-Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	United	3,639.3	1		3,715.3		-2.0
2	American	3,319.3	2		3,320.6		0.0
3	Delta	2,974.9	3		2,932.7		1.4
4	US Airways	1,027.1	4		965.9		6.3
5	JetBlue	652.8	5		589.4		10.8
6	ExpressJet	443.5	6		384.3		15.4
7	Alaska	304.0	7		319.9		-5.0
8	American Eagle	268.7	10		182.9		46.9
9	AirTran*	232.3	11		175.7		32.2
10	SkyWest	212.8	9		186.7		14.0

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 16. Top 10 U.S. Airlines, ranked by February 2013 International Scheduled Enplanements
Passenger numbers in thousands (000)
Feb 2013 Rank	Carrier	Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Feb 2012 Rank		Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	United	1,677.1	1		1,739.7		-3.6
2	American	1,537.3	2		1,547.6		-0.7
3	Delta	1,412.8	3		1,393.2		1.4
4	US Airways	511.8	4		465.8		9.9
5	JetBlue	310.6	5		289.8		7.2
6	ExpressJet	210.8	6		192.8		9.3
7	Alaska	145.6	7		156.5		-7.0
8	American Eagle	126.4	10		90.7		39.3
9	AirTran*	116.9	11		89.4		30.8
10	SkyWest	105.8	9		92.4		14.4

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Note: For previous rankings see BTS Air Traffic Press Releases

Table 17. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by January-February 2013 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines*
Passenger numbers in thousands (000)

Jan-Feb 2013 Rank	Airport	Jan-Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers	Jan-Feb 2012 Rank	Jan-Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers	Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Miami	947.8	1	955.7	-0.8
2	New York JFK	652.1	2	638.1	2.2
3	Atlanta	598.4	3	597.6	0.1
4	Newark	558.9	4	572.0	-2.3
5	Houston Bush	505.1	5	514.6	-1.9
6	Chicago O'Hare	390.2	6	396.5	-1.6
7	Dallas/Fort Worth	378.5	7	343.3	10.3
8	Los Angeles	283.9	8	302.0	-6.0
9	San Francisco	246.8	9	243.1	1.5
10	Philadelphia	229.2	11	210.5	8.9

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, T-100 International Market

* Numbers do not include international enplanements on foreign carriers

Note: Percentage changes based on numbers prior to rounding.

Table 18. Top 10 U.S. Airports, ranked by February 2013 International Scheduled Enplanements on U.S. Airlines*
Passenger numbers in thousands (000)
Feb 2013 Rank	Airport	Feb 2013 Enplaned Passengers		Feb 2012 Rank		Feb 2012 Enplaned Passengers		Pct. Change 2012-2013
1	Miami	450.6	1		451.2		-0.1
2	New York JFK	306.6	2		310.3		-1.2
3	Atlanta	290.7	3		290.6		0.0
4	Newark	259.5	4		275.8		-5.9
5	Houston Bush	236.8	5		243.5		-2.7
6	Chicago O'Hare	181.9	6		186.9		-2.7
7	Dallas/Fort Worth	180.5	7		164.9		9.5
8	Los Angeles	135.7	8		145.3		-6.6
9	San Francisco	118.6	9		117.5		0.9
10	Philadelphia	117.2	10		101.0		16.0