Agency Blames Runway Layout

At New York LaGuardia Airport on Wednesday morning, skies were reported sunny and clear, winds from the northwest at 11 to 14 miles per hour, and the forecast was for things to get even calmer.

At the same time, the FAA was blaming 23-minute average arrival delays on weather, reports Newsday. So, how come airliners are being delayed for winds that are within the demonstrated crosswind performance of the twitchiest 900-pound taildragger?

FAA spokesman Jim Peters told Newsday because LaGuardia has runways which intersect rather than run parallel, spacing between planes is increased on days with wind, to safely accommodate aborted landings.

It's the infrastructure," Peters said of the airport, which was built in 1939. "The airport itself is from another time. Airports are not built that way now. The optimum set-up is parallel runways rather than intersecting.

"LaGuardia was a golf course," Peters added.

The FAA's traffic management program in the metro New York area also may result in delays even when the entire area is VFR.

Moral of the story... even if it's sunny and calm, check with your airline for the status of your flight through New York airports before planning your day.

FMI: www.panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/airports/html/laguardia.html