Fri, Mar 17, 2006
May Be Extended To 2008
Citing increased delays
if such a restriction wasn't in place, the FAA announced Thursday
the agency will likely extend a cap on the number of flights into
Chicago's O'Hare airport until October 28. If the agency's
preliminary decision stands, it will be the third time the restrictions
-- first put into place in August 2004 -- have been
extended.
The restriction caps the combined number of domestic airline
arrivals to 88 per hour between 7 am and 8 pm, down from more than
120 per hour before the restriction was put into effect.
The FAA says that if the restriction were lifted,
congestion-related delays would likely return to O'Hare -- along
with the airport's former standing as the most delay-prone of the
nation's 31 busiest airports. Agency spokesman Tony Molinaro told
the Associated Press that the cap has reduced the number of delayed
flights to O'Hare by as much as 30 percent.
Molinaro added the FAA is seeking comments from the airlines,
and others, by March 22 -- and that the agency will decide soon
thereafter if the restriction will be extended. He also stated the
FAA is considering extending the restrictions through April 2008 --
currently, the restriction is subject to renewal every six
months.
The FAA will likely not encounter very much resistance from the
airlines on renewing the flight cap -- as it's hard to argue that
it hasn't served its intended purpose of reducing delays into
O'Hare.
Extending the restriction is an "appropriate short-term solution
to improving O'Hare's reliability, " United Airlines spokesman Jeff
Green said.
When the cap was put into effect, United and American had to cut
37 daily peak-hour flights to O'Hare.
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