Clinton Wages Weather War

<B>Clinton Wages Weather War</B>

By Barbara Cook

The stormy skies that caused a record number of flight delays and cancellations last spring and summer may pose the same threat this year, but this time, the government intends to fight back with a plan that is intended to shorten the time passengers spend waiting on the tarmac.

President Clinton on March 9 unveiled a government-industry initiative to reduce weather-related air traffic delays that will rely on greater use of military airspace off the East Coast, multiple daily teleconferences between the Federal Aviation Administration and the airlines to address impending weather conditions, and a Web site to inform travelers of the effect of weather conditions on flight schedules. The initiative will be fully phased in by April 1.

"Until we work out a way to get Mother Nature to cooperate, storms, delays and cancellations will always be with us," Clinton said at a White House briefing when the initiative was announced. "If we can photograph and analyze weather patterns from space, we ought to be able to tell passengers why they are delayed and for how long."

Further, the White House said FAA will develop a plan within 45 days for achieving broader reform of the ATC system to reduce delays. That plan must be guided by four principles, Clinton said: Safety must not be compromised; the plan must accommodate the rapidly growing number of passengers; the ATC system should operate more like a business; and ATC reform must not come at the expense of such industry segments as the general aviation community and air traffic controllers.

FAA and the airlines began working jointly last fall to develop a plan to redirect aircraft during periods of severe weather. The new initiative, named Spring 2000, grants FAA's Herndon, Va., command center expanded authority to route planes around troublesome weather fronts.

Using standardized weather forecasts in lieu of the current practice of individual forecasts for the airlines and the agency, FAA and the carriers will discuss weather conditions daily to plan for schedule and routing adjustments.

The White House said the Defense Department is working with FAA to allow use of otherwise restricted East Coast airspace to help speed traffic flows in poor weather. Further, FAA and the airlines have agreed to make better use of lower-level airspace to handle surges in traffic at peak times.

The initiative also calls for FAA and the airlines to use a state-of-the-art weather forecast tool provided by the National Weather Service to decide how to deal with storms. An FAA Web site will provide airline dispatchers with real-time information on the national plan and a shared database of current flight information will allow the agency and the carriers to collaborate on plans and decision making.

Finally, the plan provides that as of April 3, FAA will offer a Web site containing up-to-the-minute information on weather conditions and significant disruptions to the ATC system. The White House cautioned that passengers still will need to contact their airline for information on specific flights.

FAA administrator Jane Garvey commented that while the initiative is important, it is "not the silver bullet." She said the agency is taking some immediate, short-term steps to deal with weather-related delays but cautioned that the long-range answer is to modernize the ATC system.

At the White House announcement, the airlines were represented by Air Transport Association president Carol Hallett, American Airlines president and CEO Donald Carty, Delta Air Lines president and CEO Leo Mullin and Northwest Airlines president and CEO John Dasburg.