Aviation is on the cusp of a paradigm shift ...

So why did the FAA permit Meigs Field to be closed if KORD is so busy,
and the future is for more congestion?



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Business AVflash Volume 2, Issue 6 -- March 31, 2004
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GIRDING FOR GRIDLOCK?
Are the bad old days -- the time when ground delays, in-trail spacing
and lengthy conga lines at airports throughout the U.S. were the norm
-- coming back? Since September 2001, U.S. air traffic delays and
congestion have been virtually nonexistent on a widespread basis. The
ongoing economic doldrums, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and
intermittent, security-related groundings of non-scheduled aircraft --
among other factors -- have all contributed to relatively few
demand-related ATC delays being imposed on business aircraft operators
over the past two and one-half years. Exceptions include special
events for which special traffic management programs (STMPs) are
issued and, of course, severe weather. However, if you believe all of
the dire predictions from industry and government, the coming summer
could see the return of "hurry up and wait" flight operations in the
en route environment and at major hub facilities around the U.S. Put
simply, the problem is that scheduled operations are projected to
return to "normal," and the result could well be saturation of certain
terminals and sectors at various times of day. And that's just 2004 --
the out-years are projected to be worse. But government officials say
they are on the case. At last week's FAA-sponsored 29th Annual
Aviation Forecast Conference, both Secretary of Transportation Norman
Mineta and FAA Administrator Marion Blakey went to great lengths to
describe the steps their agencies are taking to minimize delays.
Secretary Mineta also said that a new era of government-industry
cooperation is helping to prevent the chronic flight delays
experienced during the summer of 2001 and earlier. "Aviation is on the
cusp of a paradigm shift," Mineta said. "Because a strong economy
depends on a vibrant aviation system, the future of our system depends
on new solutions that keep America as the worldwide leader in
aviation." Mineta and Blakey used last week's conference -- and a
media event at the Herndon, Va., Air Traffic Control Systems Command
Center (ATCSCC) -- to announce a new initiative dubbed "Growth without
Gridlock. "Unfortunately, Blakey's speeches are long on optimism --
especially for economic growth, which she says both will drive and be
driven by increased air travel -- and short on specifics. The good
news is that one of the central reasons for airborne gridlock -- lack
of adequate runways -- is being addressed. According to Blakey,
"several" new runways were commissioned in the past year and six more
"are scheduled to open in the next few years. "The bad news is that
there are more aircraft operated by scheduled air carriers than
before. The big difference is in regional jets, whose performance is
similar to business jets and which are used by the scheduled carriers
to serve routes with frequencies not sustainable with larger,
more-traditional Boeings and Airbuses.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#186988