I think parts might have been overly harsh on the airlines. Using October as the "target" month was a bit harsh. Things at NYC airports have improved drastically since then. Shuttle flights only sit on the runway for 5-10 minutes now instead of the 45-90 that we were sitting on the ground at the end of last year.

As to the airlines giving consumers exactly what they want, I dont' think so. I think consumers would gladly see the frequency of LGA/ORD flights go from 8 flights a day to 7 flights a day if those 7 flights were on time. The problem is that unless ALL the airlines cut back that one flight, NONE of the airlines would see on-time ratings improve. And, as we know, that would be collusion, which is illegal.