DELAYS IN THE SKIES

September 1, 1999
		Costly cancellations and delays have plagued the airline industry all summer. Jim Lehrer discusses the improvements being considered with Jane Garvey, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, followed by two industry experts.

Sept. 1, 1999: A discussion with two airline industry experts Aug. 19, 1999: Hazardous Baggage. Feb. 15, 1999: Unfriendly Skies. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Transportation and Government Programs   FAA	JIM LEHRER: And the final FAA report on airline delays was, in fact, released today. And here to discuss it and other issues involved is Federal Aviation Administrator Jane Garvey. Ms. Garvey, welcome. JANE GARVEY, FAA Administrator: Thank you very much. JIM LEHRER: Summarize the report today for us. JANE GARVEY: Well, first of all, the report is a self-assessment. We took a very comprehensive look at some of the major facilities in the system, and we said, "How can we do our job better?" And we did this in collaboration with the airlines. So it really outlined for us a series of actions, a series of recommendations that we are implementing now. I think what's significant about it is that it was done in coordination with the airlines and it was done in a very sort of self-critical way. We wanted to know what the issues are and what we could do about them. JIM LEHRER: You saw Tom Bearden's report with the rest of us. What would you add to that in terms of what's causing these delays? And they are... they have been terrific this summer.
	A summer of delays
	JANE GARVEY: Well, they have been difficult this summer, and it's frustrating not only for passengers. It's frustrating for us in government and certainly frustrating for the airlines, as well. I think the report highlighted the big causes of delay: Weather accounts for over 70 percent of the delays; we are transitioning to new equipment. That's good news on the one hand because we want the new equipment and we need it, but it does and it has caused some delays for us. It's much like, by the way, changing a car, a tire on a car while it's still traveling 60 miles an hour. You've got to do this still while the system is operating. And the third issue is just the growth. Aviation is becoming phenomenally successful and it's the way that most Americans want to travel, or many Americans. So we're seeing growth in aviation that those numbers are creating some strains, as well. JIM LEHRER: Well, let's go back through this. The weather, for instance here in the Northeast where there's an awful lot of airline travel and a huge number of delays, there's been a drought, there's not been... there's been very little rain, very few thunderstorms the whole summer. JANE GARVEY: Well, what's interesting is when you look at the air traffic control, you have to think of it as a system. So sometimes even if we don't have weather along the East Coast, something that's happening in Chicago can affect us, as well. Something that's happening down South can affect us. So something that's happening in Cleveland, which is which is our busiest hub, the system really is connected. But having said that-- and I think it's important to note that weather is a big part of it-- but there are still things that we can do. I think some of the recommendations that your report mentioned, taking a look at when we actually put ground stops in operation and whether or not we can manage... JIM LEHRER: Now, a ground stop is a plane either doesn't leave the gate or does leave the gate and then suddenly one of your air traffic controllers stops it and says it can't take off. JANE GARVEY: That's right. Or a facility would choose to stop it, that's right. That's right. And so the airlines I think rightly said, "look, that's a great tool that you have," because all of these are tools to manage the air space. But they've said, "are we using it in the most effective way?" And that's really what we're working through with them.
	Managing the air space
	JIM LEHRER: Managing the air space...I read today that for instance... in fact Mr. Bethune of Continental Airlines has been has been quoted extensively on this, and he uses examples such as it really only takes 20 minutes for an airliner to fly from Washington, D.C. to New York, and yet, according to the way the FAA makes these planes fly, it takes twice that long, or sometimes even more than that. Can you fix that? JANE GARVEY: Well, I think... and it's interesting because I think where we would absolutely are in full and solid agreement with the airline is that we really... the airlines… is that we really need to modernize the system, and so Mr. Bethune is absolutely right when he said we schedule more time than is actually needed for the actual flight itself but because some of the inefficiencies that we have in the system, because the system is showing strains, we really have to allow... we have to allow and the airlines obviously have to allow more time than is actually needed. JIM LEHRER: But his point is that it doesn't need all that time. In other words, that the inefficiencies, if you did away with the inefficiencies, you could do everything in a much shorter period of time and there would be less congestion because the planes would move faster, et cetera. JANE GARVEY: Well, we would agree that some of these short-term improvements we're putting in place, actions that we're taking today and are taking with the airlines, can improve the efficiency. That's really what we're doing. But long term, and I think I'm quite sure he would agree, long term what we really need is a modern air traffic control system, and that's where there is solid agreement in this industry. JIM LEHRER: Now, when you use the term system, are you talking about hardware, or are you talking about rules that, like, for instance the distances that are allowed now, that's another complaint that some of the professionals have, that you all out of caution and your system is so inefficient, that you make these planes fly so far apart, that that's also causing delays. Is that...are you talking to those kinds of things, too, when you say system? JANE GARVEY: It's really a combination. First of all, I think it's really important to say that, from the FAA's perspective, our mission, the heart and soul of what we do is aviation safety. So we do sometimes err on the side of being more conservative and we have to be absolutely clear that any of the changes we're talking about are always done in the context of what are the safety standards that we have. We can't compromise those in any way possible. But having said that, yes, for example, some of the distances between airlines could be limited somewhat, and we could be I think a little bit less cautious in those areas. JIM LEHRER: And you're going to change... the point that was also made in Tom's report is that there are inconsistent rules. In some FAA areas, it's 70 miles, in some it's 50 miles, in some it's even less than that or more than that, correct? Are you trying to standardize those? JANE GARVEY: That's right. And I think the report very clearly emphasized the importance of the command center. We have a wonderful command center in Herndon, Virginia. It has the wonderful perspective of being able to look at the system as a whole, to really look at the entire system. And they are in the best position, we think, to make some system-wide decisions. But having said that, we also have to underscore very clearly local facilities have important information that must be factored, as well, so it's collaboration and communication, as well. JIM LEHRER: To step back a moment... for a moment here. JANE GARVEY: Sure.
	Modernizing the air system
	JIM LEHRER: This didn't just happen overnight. I mean the development of the airline industry and the fact that people wanted to get on airplanes and the airlines were there and wanted to take them various places, what happened? How did the system get so out of pace, so out of sync, so old-fashioned and not working? JANE GARVEY: Well, that's a good question, and a tough question. I have to answer it from the perspective of my tenure at the FAA, which is the last couple of years. I think in part the growth has been phenomenal, and I think in some cases we've really exceeded even the forecasts that people were...had projected. But I think it's also important to say that I think members of the airline industry, and you've got a couple of experts following me, and I'm sure that they both have said in the past that this growth is going to have to be something that we're going to have to just keep pace with. And from my perspective, the best way to do that is to get consensus with the airlines, which we have, about what is it that constitutes modernization, how can we get that underway, how can we get that implemented. So it is a long-term problem. JIM LEHRER: Do you have all the power and the resources you need at FAA to solve this? JANE GARVEY: Resources are always an issue and that's why what's happening in Congress this fall, this fall will be an important time for us because they'll be debating the FAA budget, they'll be debating reauthorization. That's going to be very critical, very, very important for us. The administration has put forward a proposal that calls for reform and calls for resources for the FAA, but clearly those are the issues that will have to be debated. JIM LEHRER: Is there any question in your mind that this can be fixed, or are delays a part of our permanent future? JANE GARVEY: Well, I don't think we can ever eliminate delays. Clearly we would never allow people to travel, for example, in weather that was unsafe. So delays I think are always going to be a part of the reality that we face. However, I think what we can do and the challenge for us is to minimize those delays as best we can and to manage the system in the safest, most efficient way possible. JIM LEHRER: Okay. Jane Garvey, thank you very much. JANE GARVEY: Thank you very much. A pleasure to be here. JIM LEHRER: Thank you.