Increasingly this summer, airline passengers have been finding themselves trapped on the taxiway, sometimes for two or more hours, waiting to take off. The long waits are prompting harsh words not only in idle aircraft cabins; airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are bickering about the delays, too.
According to people who know, weekly meetings at which airline and FAA problems are aired are turning into shouting matches as the airlines complain about the FAA’s air traffic control system and its controllers.
The arrival numbers tell the story: On-time performances have plunged this summer.
For nearly a year, on-time performances had gradually improved for most of the industry. In April, nearly 80 percent of planes arrived on time. But then May storms and heat arrived, dropping the industry’s overall on-time performance rate to 77 percent. In June it got far worse, with only 70 percent of flights arriving on time. July figures, which will be released early next month, reportedly are even worse.
The airlines say the deteriorating performances are largely not their fault; they say 90 percent of the delays are caused by weather problems and the FAA.
“We don’t know if it’s related to (FAA) equipment problems or the number of planes in the air, but it seems the FAA is putting in a ground stop at the slightest indication of a little weather,” said one airline representative, who asked that he and his airline not be identified.
But FAA spokeswoman Tanya Wagner responded: “I don’t know if this year is different than last year. It’s a safety precaution. You don’t want extended periods of airborne holding.”
For those not in the loop, a “ground stop” halts all outbound traffic destined for a particular city. It can be due to weather, an accident or construction.
But it creates problems for the airlines. Do they board the passengers in hopes the ground stop will be quickly lifted, or do they wait until the stop is actually lifted to begin boarding?
“It’s the hardest decision we have to make day to day,” said the airline rep. “Do you keep the passengers in the terminal until the last minute? If you do, you may not catch the (take-off) window.”
Failure to be in line could mean an even longer wait, or losing the chance to take off at all.
The on-time performance figures are only averages, and delays can be more prevalent at some airports, such as Detroit’s Metro, where only 70 percent of planes arrive on time on a good day.
James Solomon, a resident of Island Lake in McHenry County, said his mother, who was returning Sunday to Detroit on American Airlines Flight 576, ran into a weather-related delay and construction delay due to much of the airport undergoing a face lift.
“She had to sit on the runway (at O’Hare) for 2 1/2 hours. It took eight hours to get to Detroit,” Solomon said.
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Even Southwest Airlines, which brags about the nation’s best on-time record, doesn’t mention Detroit performance. Nationwide, Southwest flights arrived on time 81 percent of the time in June. In Detroit, however, FAA figures show only 68 percent of Southwest’s flights were on time.
Of note: Southwest Airlines on Tuesday will dedicate a new airplane tug at Midway Airport, painted in the colors of the Chicago Cubs. In honor of the late Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, the airline will recognize the efforts of Maryville Academy, one of Caray’s favorite charities, and fly 40 of its kids to Sea World near Cleveland.