Chicago's O'Hare Airport can handle 200 planes every hour in good weather, but for 3 hours each day, more than that are scheduled. 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.
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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. The agency has taken some steps to increase the number of flights that airlines can handle without delays by installing new technology, realigning flight paths and rerouting some planes through Canadian air space and through sectors once reserved exclusively for military flights. Some airports are planning new runways, and FAA officials are trying to speed up construction. 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.