FAA calls O'Hare delays unacceptable
Calls for meeting of airlines to urge flight reductions at airport
From Mike Ahlers
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Federal aviation officials, citing a huge increase in flight delays at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport that is affecting flights across the country, is summoning airlines to Washington in an effort to seek voluntary flight reductions at O'Hare.
"We cannot permit O'Hare congestion to ground an economy and aviation system that are both roaring back," Mineta said in a written statement. The meeting is scheduled for August 4.
"O'Hare's on-time performance is unacceptable and has a substantial ripple effect on our nation's aviation system. It is critical that all O'Hare carriers set schedules that better match the airport's current capacity and keep passengers moving," the statement said.
Flight delays have skyrocketed at O'Hare, both because of airline competition and the introduction of a new airline into the Chicago market.
A record 58,600 flight delays through June has exceeded the total in the three previous years, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey said. Since many flights are being delayed for an hour or more, passengers are not making connections in other cities, she said.
In calling the August 4 meeting, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta invokes newly granted authority under the FAA's Vision 100 reauthorization, passed by Congress in November 2003, by "determining that a meeting is necessary to meet a serious transportation need and achieve an important public benefit."
