[mars6423]

Today whilst on lunch break at work with a co-worker/friend we were talking about common flight issues (delays, overselling, bag issues, etc) since he does mainly domestic flights and I am more in line with international flights, we were comparing the differences

however to get to the point: He was showing me an article in a newspaper that the Obama administration and the FAA are looking into the current operating systems and seeing what updates can/should/will be made to make the process of flying less congested and limit flight delays due to overcrowdedness, old technology, and other measures

So it may not directly effect the airlines, meaning that they wont go after a single airline; but it will involve, encompass and deal with the whole issue, making delays less common and for shorter periods of time (weather permitting)

The article was very interesting and pointed out many aspects, and stated that a certain percentage of delayed flights can relate to old technologies that are hindering the airlines and airports from maintaining a seemless schedule

The article also stated that they will look into the scheduling of flights and seeing if spreading them apart could help the delay situation

[jimworcs]

This requires a combination of market forces and regulation. First, congested airports need to have variable pricing for landing slots. Peak time slots should be significantly higher cost than at other times.. this will encourage airlines to adjust their scheduling and or make it easier for new entrants to compete. In the US, the airline practice of "owning" gates is flawed. This causes congestion, particularly during bad weather, when airlines are lining up for gates which are backed up, whilst others sit empty. Gates should be airport assets which can be used flexibly for different airlines. Lastly, in particularly busy airports, slots should be bought and sold on a market basis and the FAA should regulate this lottery. The number of slot should be limited, which would prevent airlines scheduling more than they have the capacity to fly.