WARRENTON, Va. – During a morning meeting in early May, staff at the federal air traffic command center rattle off a few of the day’s obstacles: storms near the Florida coast and in Texas, a military aircraft exercise, and a report of a bird strike at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The center, about an hour’s drive from Washington, D.C., is responsible for coordinating the complex web of more than 40,000 flights a day over the U.S. Shortly after 7 a.m. ET, there were already 3,500 flights in the air. During peak travel periods, that figure can climb to more than 5,000 flights at once.
As air travel rebounds to near pre-ក្រុមហ៊ុន Covidien pandemic levels even as airlines remain understaffed, the agency and carriers are trying to control the rising rate of delays and cancellations that can ruin vacations and cost airlines រាប់សិបលានដុល្លារ in lost revenue.
The problems are coming during the high-demand spring and summer travel season, which also coincides with some of the most disruptive weather for airlines — thunderstorms.
LaKisha Price, the air traffic manager at the Federal Aviation Administration’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center, said staff are monitoring potential problems in the nation’s airspace “every day, every hour.”
The center is staffed 24/7.
The FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
អ៊ីរីន ខ្មៅ | CNBC
From the start of the year through June 13, airlines canceled 3% of the roughly 4 million commercial U.S. flights for that period, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware. Another 20% were delayed, with passengers waiting an average of 48 minutes.
Over the same period in 2019 before the pandemic, 2% of flights were canceled and 17% delayed, with a similar average wait time, according to FlightAware.
LaKisha Price Air Traffic Manager at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System Command Center
អ៊ីរីន ខ្មៅ | CNBC
Typically, the FAA manages the flow of air traffic in part by holding inbound traffic at originating airports or slowing arrivals.
Flight cancellations and delays last year and in 2022 have បានលើកឡើងពីការព្រួយបារម្ភ among some lawmakers.
No easy fixes
“We’ve got to be able to be very nimble and adaptive to the scenario as it plays out,” he added.
The job isn’t for everyone. Applicants can be no older than 30 and must retire when they turn 56. Pilots in the U.S. are forced to retire at 65 and airlines are currently facing a wave of retirements, some of which were sped up in the pandemic when carriers urged them to leave early to cut their costs. Lawmakers this year have been considering a bill that would raise the pilot retirement age at least two years.
Storms in Texas
He noted the weather was set to hit the Dallas-Forth Worth area at around 10 a.m.
“So it gives us a couple hours to worry about it,” said Lucia, a more than three-decade FAA veteran.
Last year, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport became the world’s មមាញឹកបំផុតទីពីរ thanks to booming U.S. travel and a dearth of international trips. The airport is the home hub of ក្រុមហ៊ុនអាកាសចរណ៍អាមេរិច. Nearby is also Dallas Love Field, the home base of ក្រុមហ៊ុនភាគនិរតី.
Inclement weather causes 70% of U.S. flight delays in an average year, according to the FAA. But there are other reasons for delays, too.
“We’ve seen people streaking on the runway,” said Price, the center’s air traffic manager. “We’ve had wildlife on the runways. You have to be ready for everything.”
Florida congestion
One solution from airlines has been to pare down their flying despite surging demand. JetBlue អ៊ែរវ៉េ, ក្រុមហ៊ុនអាកាសចរណ៍ព្រះវិញ្ញាណ, ក្រុមហ៊ុនអាកាសចរណ៍អាឡាស្កា ហើយថ្មីៗនេះ ដីសណ្តរបន្ទាត់អ៊ែរ, have trimmed their schedules back as they grapple with staffing shortages and routine challenges like weather, to give themselves more backup for when things go wrong.
In May, the FAA organized a two-day meeting with airlines in Florida about some of the recent delays. Afterward, the FAA said it would ramp up staffing at the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center, which oversees in-air traffic in five states — Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and North and South Carolina — and tends to deal with challenges from bad weather, space launches and military training exercises.
The FAA stopped short of capping flights serving Florida but had said it would help airlines come up with alternative routes and altitudes.
For example, the agency is also routing more traffic over the Gulf of Mexico, Price said.
Spring and summer thunderstorms are among the most difficult challenges because they can be so unpredictable.
American’s Seymour said the airline can still improve, “We’re continuing to look to find better ways to get to manage these situations.”
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/14/faa-airlines-work-to-reduce-summer-travel-delays.html