As one who travels frequently – generally arriving at airports with little or no time to spare – there have been many times when I’ve hoped the flight would be delayed. Now I have gotten my wish and, like so many other flyers, I am frustrated and angry.

The past six months have been the most trying season of travel in my life – almost every flight to and from LaGuardia Airport has been delayed.

I have developed some measure of patience only by using these moments as opportunities to catch up on my reading. I recently read Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D. during a two hour delay on a trip to Washington, D.C.

That, at least, was a worthwhile use of my time since it is an absolute "must read" for anyone who is interested in ways to deal with changes in their work or life.

Now that delays have reached what Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has deemed to be an unacceptable level, perhaps there will be a light at the end of the runway.

The Port Authority has informed the airlines that they cannot add any more flights during the peak hours in the morning and evenings. That is a good beginning in an attempt to alleviate some of the current gridlock. However, it will not totally solve the problem, since there is now a federal law mandating an expansion of service between New York and smaller cities.

If the Authority honors the requirement of the federal law, then the conditions at LaGuardia, Kennedy, and Newark will be exacerbated to totally unacceptable levels. The Authority has suggested the airports improve spacing by offering flights during the off-peak hours.

The airlines have looked down at this idea, suggesting that it will severely reduce ridership.

This plan would also be problematic for business travelers who are in the habit of doing one-day, turn around trips. With airline fares being so excessive, some travelers must necessarily avoid some overnight hotel expenses by scheduling all of their business for one day.

One of the problems concerning any plan to reduce flights at LaGuardia and Kennedy would be an increase in the number of flights into Newark. Already, there are a number of airlines that offer lesser fares to Newark, and that has had some negative impact on the New York airports. Since these airports are the largest source of employment within their communities, such a move would have severe economic consequences.

There is no question of the need for more takeoff and landing slots, especially at LaGuardia.

There is a clear and certain need to increase capacity, but both airports are land constrained. A new airport in New York makes sense, but that is highly unlikely given current environmental requirements and the lack of land sizeable enough to accommodate such a large undertaking.

Hopefully, the day will come soon when the airline representatives and the Authority come to some solution. Winter is coming and that means the onset of delays routinely necessitated by inclement weather conditions. During the eleven years that I commuted to Washington, DC from LaGuardia, there were frequent weather delays and cancellations.

If things continue as they have been this spring and summer, the situation will only get worse.

Since I have already planned a number of trips over the next few months, I guess that I should load up with some good books.

It appears that it is going to be a long cold winter sitting on runways, and circling in holding patterns. In the end, of course, what really matters is getting to and from your destinations safely.