American Airlines prepares for `ugly' flight delays for next two years: air-traffic technology problems cited

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American Airlines prepares for `ugly' flight delays for next two years: air-traffic technology problems cited

September 13, 2000

BY MARILYN ADAMS

NEW YORK--Predicting "ugly" flight delays for a few more years, American Airlines CEO Don Carty on Tuesday announced changes at the airline's busiest hubs designed to keep more flights on time.

Starting this fall, American, the second-largest airline based on market share, will reorganize operations at O'Hare and slightly spread out schedules at Dallas-Fort Worth.

Carty, speaking to Wall Street analysts in New York, said the airline was responding to the last two summers' delays and potential problems this winter. "The next two summers are going to be pretty ugly," he said, in part because new air traffic control technology won't be in place until at least 2003.

"The accusation that airlines overschedule is absolutely right. Of course we overschedule," as a result of competitive pressure, he said.

Starting Oct. 1, American will add slightly to ground and connecting times at Dallas-Fort Worth. That will help keep flights on schedule by allowing more time for ground and air traffic control delays.

Starting Nov. 1, most American jets will fly from O'Hare to another airport and then back, instead of going on to a third airport. That change will build "a fire wall between our O'Hare operation and the rest of our network," Carty said.

For example, today a flight from Chicago to New York might continue to Dallas-Fort Worth. With the change, that jet will return to Chicago from New York.

"If there's a snowstorm in Chicago, it won't affect your flight from New York to Dallas," Carty said.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/air13.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), September 13, 2000

Answers

I'm not a flyer. Just a looker into the flight play of today. Something is going on here that doesn't add up? Just a few short months of reporting=more fliers now than before, more competition, and more conjestion at the airports, makes our skies more dangerous? We citizen's have taken to the skies, thus the skies are more dangerous? Yeh, blame us, the ones who foot the sky high bills, (one way or the other). That's us, the tax payer. And, this revelation has just become known within the last 6 months or so??

-- Ruth Angell (bar@bpsinet.com), September 13, 2000.

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