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88 HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM Senator MONRONEY. I think you are right about O'Hare having a greater volume of traffic than either Kennedy or Los Angeles International. Of course, I don't think it is fair to wrap up LaGuardia, Kennedy, and Newark into one package. You would probably be second if you counted the three airports. With one airport, you are not endeavoring to count Midway in that set of figures? Mr. PUCINSKI. No. This tremendous amount of air traffic in Chicago which is continuing to grow at a rate of over 10 percent per year can no longer be properly handled by only one airport. The public interest and the public safety require that we reactivate Midway fully as Chicago's second major airport. In July of 1964---after 2 years of suspended service by all airlines---United Air Lines reinstated service at our Chicago Midway Airport with two Boeing 727 jet flights to New York's LaGuardia Airport and two Viscount flights to Washington National Airport. United's operation during the past 8 months has proven the jet capability of Midway's present facilities. The mayor of our city, Richard J. Daley, is continuing to work with the 25 airlines serving Chicago to have additional service restored to Midway in order to relieve the growing congestion at O'Hare. In this connection I and other Members of Congress are currently working with the Federal Aviation Agency to urge them to allow the use of small- and medium-size jets at Washington National Airport. With prop-driven aircraft being rapidly phased out of service by the airlines in favor of the smaller jets, it becomes increasingly important that we immediately allow jet aircraft to land at Washington National. As an example this would allow United Air Lines to immediately replace their Midway-Washington Viscount service with the Boeing 727 jet, thereby providing a better public service, as well as the development of scheduling complexes that would aid greatly in the restoration of additional service at Midway by United and other airlines. If United can justify the expansion of its Midway service, then the other airlines will follow by reestablishing service at Midway for obvious competitive reasons. Chicago has a much higher percent--over 50 percent--of connecting or transferring passenger traffic than any other airport in the country. For this reason, our helicopter service becomes a most vital and important part of our Chicago Airport system. this passenger connecting problem in Chicago is the main reason why CHA for many years led the entire helicopter industry in numbers of passengers carried, and why it will again lead the industry when we have even 15 to 20 percent of our traffic at Midway. On two occasions during the past 40 days, United Air Lines was forced to divert approximately 30 flights into Midway due to weather problems that caused severe air and ground traffic congestion at O'Hare. During each of these 2 days, CHA carried an average of over 600 passengers between Midway and O'Hare, thereby proving again the great public service that can be provided by our Chicago helicopter carrier. As I pointed out earlier, over 50 percent of Chicago's traffic is interline or on-line connecting traffic. This fact indicate that over 50 percent of the people who use Chicago's airports do not remain in
