New York airports account for half of all US flight delays
January 31, 2012, 08:57 am
A recent report from the Government Accountability Office found in the first half of 2011, the major airports in the New York region handled 12 percent of all domestic flights, but accounted for nearly half of all delays in the nation. During the same period in 2005, the same airports only represented a third of all delays in the United States.
Each day the New York-area airports - Kennedy, La Guardia and Newark Liberty International - the Teterboro Airport in New Jersey and the Philadelphia International Airport are home to thousands of passengers waiting for a delayed flight. And despite changes in procedures and scheduling from the Federal Aviation Administration, flight delays in the region continue to get worse, UT San Diego reported.
According to the FAA, the delays caused by these major airports affect airports and travelers across the country. One third of all flight delays in the United States are in some way caused by the New York region's airports. Causes of delays at the airports include mechanical problems, late crew team members, missing passengers or inclement weather conditions. While some of these causes cannot be avoided, others can be controlled, the source reported.
The U.S. Department of Transportation defines a flight as on time if it leaves or arrives at its gate within 15 minutes of its schedule. Airlines tend to have long, padded schedules to allow more time for flights to take off or land without being deemed delayed or late. To achieve this and manipulate the statistics, airlines will allocate longer than necessary times for flights to be completed in, hoping to minimize its late arrivals, the source reported.
However, Erin Burnett, host of the Erin Burnett OutFront show for CNN, recently publicly raved about her experience at a Jacksonville, Mississippi, airport when her flight was delayed. In town for the Republican presidential candidate debate, Burnett's flight out of Jacksonville International Airport was delayed, and the time she spent at the facility convinced her it was the best airport in the country, Jacksonsville news reported.
During her show, Burnett told the audience and viewers that the airport's open space, clean stores, live music and art gallery made the delay a very pleasant experience for her. Burnett particularly enjoyed the welcoming workers at the airport who made her delay more than bearable, with their friendly service and warm demeanor, the source reported.
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