AP News, March 15th, 2007
Airline passengers can expect more delays as airplanes crowd the skies, the Federal Aviation Administration said Thursday.
The agency expects an average of 1.4 million more takeoffs and landings _ the equivalent of traffic at two Dallas-Fort Worth International Airports _ every year until 2020. In 2006, air traffic controllers handled 61.1 million takeoffs and landings.
"Delays are mounting due to congested airspace and congested airports," said FAA administrator Marion Blakey. "The congestion is really becoming a chronic thing."
Blakey said 2006 was the worst year ever for delays, and 2007 isn't looking any better. Last year, more than 490,000 flights departed or arrived late, she said.
This year, domestic airline ticket prices are expected to increase by 0.4 percent before dropping an average of 0.9 percent annually, the FAA said as part of its annual aviation forecast.
The agency predicts airline traffic will grow faster at hub airports than at smaller ones.
Washington's Dulles International Airport will experience the most growth _ 68 percent by 2020. Air traffic at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport will grow by 59 percent, followed by Los Angeles International Airport at 54 percent and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport at 38 percent.
Blakey said the nation's aging air traffic control system must be replaced to avoid gridlock in the skies.
To pay for a new system that would rely on satellite-based navigation, the FAA proposes to replace the ticket tax now paid by airline passengers with a combination of fees and taxes. That would force people who fly corporate jets to bear more of the cost of the air traffic control system.
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Federal Aviation Administration: http://www.faa.gov
