Aviation Buzz

What a great day for airports – three new runways opened at 3 major airports in the United States. Due to the number of delays in the nationwide air traffic system, runways were built at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, Seattle-Tacoma International, and Washington’s Dulles International. These runways will increase capacity at these major airports. News reports say that nearly $1.8 billion dollars went into these runways (total): $450 million at Chicago’s O’Hare International, nearly $350 at Dulles International, and over $1 billion dollars into Seattle’s new runway. If you haven’t noticed already, all of these airports are hubs to at least one major carrier.

I see this as a great opportunity for the airlines based at these airports. I think specifically of United, whose on-time performance and massive amount of complaints (leader) was nothing to brag about (January thru June period). Washington’s Dulles and Chicago’s O’Hare are major gateways for United. I think this will significantly help their flights arrive on-time, and it will have a ripple effect of improving their entire network of route’s on-time performance.

Who else is this good news to? American Airlines (hub in Chicago’s O’Hare), Alaska Airlines / Horizon Air (hub in Seattle) and Northwest Airlines (focus city in Seattle). Better yet, it’s good for travelers everywhere. Note that Chicago O’Hare significantly impacts United Airlines’ and American Airlines’ entire route structure. Granted, it will not solve all problems, but it’s an important step. This new runway, for Chicago, is part of a massive $15 billion dollar project that aims to lay down another runway and a terminal by 2014. All ORD (Chicago O’Hare) needs is the funding. 

The next step, as the AP article correctly suggests, is the air traffic control system. Yet that will cost Americans roughly $30 billion dollars in tax-payer money. The new system implements GPS over the obsolete radar method of controlling aircraft. Another step is improving capacity in other locations. The FAA has said that they easily see 4 major airports going up within the next 2 to 3 decades. Whether or not that does happen, I think all can agree that today was a good day for travelers, airlines, and the world’s air traffic system. 

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