The Federal Aviation Administration yesterday extended through October a flight reduction program at Chicago O'Hare International Airport and also proposed a new federal rule that would seek to ease congestion through 2008. One of the world's busier airports and a hub for both American and United airlines, O'Hare has been plagued by excessive flight delays which often spread across much of the domestic network.
"For now, we're going to stick with a formula that is saving air travelers countless time and money," said FAA administrator Marion Blakey. "While we are working hard to add capacity throughout the system, we need to make sure in the interim that O'Hare schedules don't exceed what the airport can handle."
Specifically, the extended flight cap now will expire Oct. 29 rather than the earlier deadline of April 30 and will maintain limits on arrivals during peak hours
(BTN, Sept. 6, 2004). FAA said on-time arrival performance at O'Hare has improved 17 percent since the flight cap went into effect last November and that delay minutes are 22 percent lower. The most recent U.S. Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report showed January on-time arrival performance at O'Hare had improved to 59.3 percent from 51.8 percent in January 2004. On-time departure rates similarly improved, increasing from 57.9 percent in January 2004 to 61.3 percent.
FAA said that by maintaining similar flight limits through 2008, as proposed yesterday, the airport's delays would be reduced by 42 percent, saving airlines and passengers more than $700 million. In a notice of proposed rulemaking to be published Friday in the Federal Register, FAA said limits gradually could be relaxed if O'Hare capacity increases before the April 2008 expiration. FAA is accepting comment on the proposal until late May.
FAA earlier this month issued a forecast predicting passenger numbers in the domestic U.S. aviation system would return to pre-2001 levels by the end of this year and then grow 3.4 percent annually for the next 12 years. According to the forecast, passenger levels in 2015 would surpass one billion, compared with 688.5 million passengers who flew in the United States last year.