The Secretary of Transportation may request that air carriers meet with the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration to discuss flight reductions at severely congested airports to reduce overscheduling and flight delays during hours of peak operation if—
(1) the Administrator determines that it is necessary to convene such a meeting; and
(2) the Secretary determines that the meeting is necessary to meet a serious transportation need or achieve an important public benefit.
Any meeting under subsection (a)—
(1) shall be chaired by the Administrator;
(2) shall be open to all scheduled air carriers; and
(3) shall be limited to discussions involving the airports and time periods described in the Administrator’s determination.
Before any such meeting is held, the Administrator shall establish flight reduction targets for the meeting and notify the attending air carriers of those targets not less than 48 hours before the meeting.
An air carrier attending the meeting shall make any offer to meet a flight reduction target to the Administrator rather than to another carrier.
The Administrator shall ensure that a transcript of the meeting is kept and made available to the public not later than 3 business days after the conclusion of the meeting.
(Added Pub. L. 108–176, title IV, § 422(a), Dec. 12, 2003, 117 Stat. 2552.)