Most of the recent focus on reducing delays has been on building new runways or finding safe ways to squeeze more planes into the same airspace. But tests at four major airports show that simpler and cheaper weather displays can substantially reduce delays.
Most airports now have no system to track the movement of thunderstorms.
The Integrated Terminal Weather System, which shows controllers where storms will be in 60 minutes, was supposed to be in place at 33 airports by 2003. But that target has been reduced to as few as eight airports. FAA research and acquisition chief Steven Zaidman said that the agency is enthusiastic about test results and is considering restoring funds. Flight delays reached record levels during the past two summers. Tests by Lincoln Laboratories, a research arm of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, show that many of those delays are needless.