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Order Code RS20914
Updated September 5, 2001Aviation Congestion: Proposed Non-Air
Traffic Control Remedies
John W. Fischer
Specialist in Transportation
Resources, Science, and Industry DivisionSummary
Prior to the summer of 2001, the airline industry experienced two consecutive
summers of record flight delays. This was accompanied by rising public dissatisfaction
with airline service in general. The debate amongst airlines, airports, and government as
to who should be blamed for this situation is long-standing. A concomitant debate
continues to occur as to solutions to this problem. The two apparent points of
agreement are that ultimately there is no single cause of the delays and there is no single
solution to the problem.
Congress and the Bush Administration are examining a number of non-air traffic
control strategies that might be useful in reducing delay both in the short and long term.
Most of these efforts focus on expanding airport capacity or using existing capacity
better. These include: new runway construction; environmental streamlining to speed up
construction; allocation of airport space by use of economic incentives, i.e. peak period
pricing; or administrative means, i.e. antitrust immunity to allow airline schedule
coordination. All of the potential remedies engender some element of controversy, but
the level of controversy varies significantly by suggested remedy. This report provides
a brief overview and analysis of remedies currently under consideration by Congress and
the Administration. This report will be updated as warranted by events.
Flight delays have been an issue since the early days of air travel. In the current
discussion, delay as a long term issue is essentially the result of a supply and demand
imbalance. Air travel is growing steadily on an annual basis. Airport capacity, especially
in the most desired locations, and air traffic control (ATC) capacity are not growing as
fast. The system is not congested at all times in all places, but it is congested enough that
almost all air travelers experience delay at one time or another.
Although the causes of delay are not the primary focus of this report,' a brief
summation of the alleged causes would include: weather; an inefficient, outdated air traffic
1For a discussion of the causes of delay, its implications, and measures to improve ATC see: CRS
Report RS20734, Aviation Delays, by J. Glen Moore.Congressional Research Service V The Library of Congress
CRS Report for Congress
Received through the CRS Web
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Fischer, John W. Aviation Congestion: Proposed Non-Air Traffic Control Remedies, report, September 5, 2001; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2039/m1/1/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.