But far more flights are scheduled during the day. And just think about how many more flights will be delayed in bad weather, when fewer planes can take off and land but airline schedules aren't reduced. The Federal Aviation Administration reported Wednesday that so many flights have been scheduled at certain airports that there is no way all of those planes can take off or land on time. The problem is so acute at eight airports that at least three of every 100 takeoffs or landings are delayed by more than 15 minutes. Newark was second, at 8 percent, followed by O'Hare with 6 percent.
People like to travel by air.
The FAA report provides the first calculations of just how many flights 31 major airports can accommodate without delays, and what improvements are necessary to handle a projected 39 percent growth in takeoffs and landings between 2000 and 2012. For example, a plane taking off from LaGuardia in the morning flies several different routes during the day. If it's late in the morning, all of those subsequent flights may be delayed. While the airline industry blames delays on too few runways and an air traffic control system unable to handle a sharply growing number of flights and passengers, other experts say the airlines themselves are scheduling too many flights at peak travel times. The airlines are doing this because they can, and the airline authorities don't seem to put any barrier in their way.