US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Wednesday he wants to rescind plans for slot auctions at New York area airports, a controversial Bush era plan to reduce flight delays that prompted lawsuits.

"We're still serious about tackling aviation congestion in the New York region," LaHood said at a breakfast for the Association for a Better New York. He added he will discuss how to solve the problem over the summer with "airline, airport and consumer stakeholders."

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs local airports, had sued to block the Bush administration's plan to auction the slots to the highest bidders, saying this would drive ticket prices higher but not improve flight delays. A US Court of Appeals stayed the plan in December.

Travelers flying in and out of New York and New Jersey's three main metropolitan airports often endure delays of 130 minutes or more and the backups spread throughout the country, according to a business group's study released in February.

LaHood, saying his "holistic" transportation strategy encompassed everything from ferries to high-speed rail, gave New Jersey's new Hudson River tunnel another green light.