FAA promises to deal with air traffic delays

The Federal Aviation Administration is only a few months away from taking a major step toward addressing the growing problem of flight delays and cancellations, officials told the Senate Commerce Committee Thursday.

The FAA soon will release data on the peak arrival and departure capacity at different times during the day for 30 of the nation's busiest airports. Transportation Department Inspector General Kenneth Mead said that would enable the FAA, airlines and airports to assess what relief the various initiatives that have been proposed will bring to delays and cancellations.

According to the FAA, flight delays have risen by 58 percent in the last five years. Last year, flight delays were up 22 percent over 1998, and numerous newspaper articles have documented the plights of stranded passengers sleeping at airports.

Both the government and the private sector are grappling with the need to address the problem and an increasingly frustrated flying public. "Lack of information adds to the rage factor," said Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. Some airlines do not make information available to passengers about what their options are in getting a flight on another airline when their flight is experiencing a delay or canceled, she said.

But each segment of the aviation system should share the blame for delays, including pilots who strike during peak times, neighborhoods that block the expansion of airports, and the government for funding "pork barrel" products instead of putting the money where the greatest need is, said Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz..

At the hearing, Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater outlined a number of initiatives the department is taking, along with airlines and airports, to address the increasing passenger frustration with the aviation system.

These include modernizing the air traffic control system, examining airline service quality and providing more information to the public. But Mead warned that the initiatives would be "hampered until we know what traffic level can the system reasonably be expected to maintain."

While senators and government officials praised the massive aviation spending bill that passed earlier this year-which will provide about $9 billion in funds to improve air travel-Mead also said FAA's consumer assistance program needs more funding.