Airport News - North America.

Apr 14, 2008

One in four flights was delayed or canceled last year in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. On more than 88,000 flights, affecting about 5.9 million passengers, planes sat on the tarmac for more than an hour -- and often longer -- before takeoff or after landing. Last summer, the number of flight cancellations was 28% higher than in the same period in 2006. A chorus of committee members called the delays unacceptable, urging both the airlines and the government to do more to reduce delays. Rep. Laura Richardson (D-Long Beach) recounted her own flying horror story from Monday as she waited through several delays while traveling to Washington. Apr 10, 2008

Weather remains obstacle to lengthy flight delays, ATA testifies James May, president and CEO of the Air Transport Association, testified yesterday at a hearing on delays and customer service that weather is the cause of most lengthy flight delays. He explained that airlines don't like delays any more than customers do, and said the industry is working to solve the problems. A report by the DOT inspector general predicted that airlines will experience significant flight delays at major airports in New York, Chicago and Minneapolis this summer. Yesterday, DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovel noted that many initiatives aimed at reducing congestion and delays will not be in place this summer. Apr 10, 2008

TSA makes allowances for travelers who forget their IDs. Travelers who forget to take their IDs with them to the airport may face a hassle, but in most cases they will still be allowed to board a plane, TSA officials said. A TSA spokeswoman acknowledged that a procedure exists for travelers who forget their identification, but it does not disclose the policy. Apr 9, 2008

TSA expands behavior screening program. The TSA is expanding its behavior detection program at major U.S. airports. The goal of the program is to spot terrorists and other potentially dangerous travelers based on their behavior. Since the program's launch four years ago, officials have subjected more than 104,000 travelers to additional questioning based on their behavior and have arrested fewer than 700. Apr 7, 2008

US Dept. of Homeland Security avoided potential confusion at airports last week by granting an extension to Maine on compliance with the first phase of a federal law mandating new security features on driver's licenses. Extension followed assurances from Gov. John Baldacci (D) to "use the resources at my disposal" to amend state policies in accordance with DHS demands. It was unclear, however, whether the state legislature would back him. Nevertheless, DHS said the governor's promises were satisfactory, allowing residents of all 50 states to continue using licenses as airport identification from May 11. Apr 7, 2008

Island Airlines

Island Airlines, which ferries passengers and freight between Hyannis and Nantucket, delayed or canceled three flights yesterday as it discussed with the Federal Aviation Administration whether it needed to upgrade the transponders on five of its seven planes. W. Scott LaForge, the airline's president and chief executive, said the airline grounded the five planes, but received permission from the FAA in the midafternoon to keep flying the whole fleet. Upgraded equipment was installed in one of the grounded planes. He said the airline is waiting for a definitive ruling from the FAA on what it must do about the remaining four. He argued that the next-generation equipment is unnecessary on the route flown by his planes - and expensive. But Arlene Salac, a spokesman for the FAA in New England, said the agency, "looking to the future," wants the equipment installed. An airplane transponder is a device that, when the craft is hit by radar, sends information back for display on the air traffic controller's screen, such as the plane's flight number, altitude, and air speed. LaForge said the upgraded equipment would allow the owner's name and plane's registration number to be transmitted. LaForge said he is hoping the agency will allow the airline to operate without the new transponders or give it a "reasonable amount of time" to install them in the four planes. Apr 10, 2008

Pittsburgh airport

Pittsburgh airport faces chronic delays. Travelers flying through Pittsburgh International Airport can face consistent delays depending on when their flight departs the airport. "Pittsburgh unfortunately is in the vicinity of the most congested air space in the country, the Northeast," an Air Transport Association spokesman said. Airlines note that the nation's outdated air traffic control system contributes to the chronic delays. Apr 7, 2008

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