- Nov 9, 2003
- 16,512
- 5,865
From the D.O.T.
DOT 138-04
Contact: Brian Turmail
Tel.: 202-366-4570
Wednesday, August 18
U.S. Department of Transportation and Airlines Agree on Plan to Cut O’Hare Delays by 20 Percent before Thanksgiving
CHICAGO, IL – Time lost by travelers on flight delays at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport will be cut by 20 percent before the end of the year under an agreement reached between negotiators for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airlines, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced today.
Domestic airlines serving O’Hare have agreed to a voluntary limit of 88 scheduled arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. The new limit on scheduled arrivals during peak hours, effective November 1, brings schedules more in line with O’Hare’s current capacity and is expected to cut the amount of time lost due to delays by 20 percent, according to computer modeling developed from six months of actual O’Hare delay information.
The agreement, which is the result of talks directed by Secretary Mineta and chaired by FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey, also is expected to cut delay times by imposing a limit on new flights that airlines were planning to add in November.
“We’ve worked hard to balance the need to provide vibrant air service and grow the economy with the need to clear the skies over O’Hare,†Mineta said. “The process worked, yielding substantial reductions that will produce results for the traveling public,†Mineta added.
“We were able to reach a cooperative, voluntary agreement with the carriers,†Blakey said. “Both groups want the same thing: efficient transportation for the flying public,†she said.
United and American Airlines, which operate 86 percent of flights at O’Hare, have offered the largest reductions. United will reduce 20 arrivals while American will cancel 17 incoming flights scheduled between noon and 8 p.m. Some of these flights may operate during less congested periods of the day. Other airlines with fewer operations have agreed to reduce or change schedules to cut delays.
“We need to steer a course that will keep passengers and the economy moving without stunting the growth of competitive service out of O’Hare,†Mineta said.
The agreement, signed by Blakey today, takes effect November 1, 2004 and expires April 30, 2005. In addition to the schedule reductions, airlines must contact the FAA for approval prior to rescheduling flights to ensure potential scheduling moves do not have a detrimental effect on airport efficiency.
To preserve airport access and competition, the agreement also allows new entrants and those carriers already serving O’Hare with eight or fewer scheduled arrivals to add no more than one arrival from noon to 9 p.m. All additions would be subject to prior approval by the FAA and handled on a first-come, first-served basis. If one scheduled arrival is added, one non-scheduled arrival will be removed to maintain the agreed upon overall hourly arrival rate at the airport.
-END-
And from US Airways
ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways said today it supports the joint order issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which will reduce operations related delays at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
"Secretary Mineta and Administrator Blakey have shown tremendous leadership in dealing quickly with the congestion issues at O'Hare, which have an impact on the entire aviation system," said Alan W. Crellin, executive vice president of operations. "While we have a relatively small flight schedule at O'Hare, it is still important for US Airways to have access and remain competitive, and during this proceeding, DOT and FAA officials have worked hard to strike a careful balance."
US Airways operates 19 daily flights from O'Hare, with six-times daily service to both Charlotte, N.C., and Pittsburgh, and seven daily flights to Philadelphia. US Airways is the nation's seventh-largest airline, serving nearly 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers operate over 3,300 flights per day.
Jim
DOT 138-04
Contact: Brian Turmail
Tel.: 202-366-4570
Wednesday, August 18
U.S. Department of Transportation and Airlines Agree on Plan to Cut O’Hare Delays by 20 Percent before Thanksgiving
CHICAGO, IL – Time lost by travelers on flight delays at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport will be cut by 20 percent before the end of the year under an agreement reached between negotiators for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and airlines, Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced today.
Domestic airlines serving O’Hare have agreed to a voluntary limit of 88 scheduled arrivals per hour between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. The new limit on scheduled arrivals during peak hours, effective November 1, brings schedules more in line with O’Hare’s current capacity and is expected to cut the amount of time lost due to delays by 20 percent, according to computer modeling developed from six months of actual O’Hare delay information.
The agreement, which is the result of talks directed by Secretary Mineta and chaired by FAA Administrator Marion C. Blakey, also is expected to cut delay times by imposing a limit on new flights that airlines were planning to add in November.
“We’ve worked hard to balance the need to provide vibrant air service and grow the economy with the need to clear the skies over O’Hare,†Mineta said. “The process worked, yielding substantial reductions that will produce results for the traveling public,†Mineta added.
“We were able to reach a cooperative, voluntary agreement with the carriers,†Blakey said. “Both groups want the same thing: efficient transportation for the flying public,†she said.
United and American Airlines, which operate 86 percent of flights at O’Hare, have offered the largest reductions. United will reduce 20 arrivals while American will cancel 17 incoming flights scheduled between noon and 8 p.m. Some of these flights may operate during less congested periods of the day. Other airlines with fewer operations have agreed to reduce or change schedules to cut delays.
“We need to steer a course that will keep passengers and the economy moving without stunting the growth of competitive service out of O’Hare,†Mineta said.
The agreement, signed by Blakey today, takes effect November 1, 2004 and expires April 30, 2005. In addition to the schedule reductions, airlines must contact the FAA for approval prior to rescheduling flights to ensure potential scheduling moves do not have a detrimental effect on airport efficiency.
To preserve airport access and competition, the agreement also allows new entrants and those carriers already serving O’Hare with eight or fewer scheduled arrivals to add no more than one arrival from noon to 9 p.m. All additions would be subject to prior approval by the FAA and handled on a first-come, first-served basis. If one scheduled arrival is added, one non-scheduled arrival will be removed to maintain the agreed upon overall hourly arrival rate at the airport.
-END-
And from US Airways
ARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- US Airways said today it supports the joint order issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which will reduce operations related delays at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
"Secretary Mineta and Administrator Blakey have shown tremendous leadership in dealing quickly with the congestion issues at O'Hare, which have an impact on the entire aviation system," said Alan W. Crellin, executive vice president of operations. "While we have a relatively small flight schedule at O'Hare, it is still important for US Airways to have access and remain competitive, and during this proceeding, DOT and FAA officials have worked hard to strike a careful balance."
US Airways operates 19 daily flights from O'Hare, with six-times daily service to both Charlotte, N.C., and Pittsburgh, and seven daily flights to Philadelphia. US Airways is the nation's seventh-largest airline, serving nearly 200 communities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America. US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and the US Airways Express partner carriers operate over 3,300 flights per day.
Jim
