The Prez Got an Earful on Air Traffic

Behind the scenes, President Bush has been getting an earful about air-traffic delays.

And it turns out that one crucial bit of intelligence came from a member of his official "family"—Karl Zinsmeister, Bush's domestic policy adviser. In reporting to the president how frustrating it is for passengers to sit in an airplane waiting to take off, Zinsmeister explained that he endured a 61/₂-hour wait on the tarmac for a recent flight, while he crammed his 6-foot-5 frame into a coach seat.

Bush admitted that he never has such experiences on Air Force One, but he was impressed by the account. He ended up by deciding to open some military aviation routes to commercial traffic for Thanksgiving week in order to relieve congestion.

—Kenneth T. Walsh