FAA working overtime for busiest summer travel season in years: Dealing with delays

NORTH TEXAS – The FAA is working overtime to handle one of the busiest summer travel seasons in the past 15 years.

Airlines can add new destinations and more flights to meet the growing demand, but the buck ultimately stops with the FAA. Air traffic controllers will slow down traffic for a variety of safety reasons.

Anyone flying dreads a delay, which is why the FAA wants to explain what causes them.

“A knowledgeable passenger is going to be a happier passenger,” said Ernie Snyder, an Integration and Efficiency Specialist with the FAA. “You know, at least I understand why – I may not like it, but I understand it.”

The agency’s main goal is to get passengers from point A to point B safely, but severe weather can completely disrupt the normal flow of air traffic.

The FAA says it’s the leading cause of delays.

“Beryl was a perfect example of a storm that didn’t come into the DFW area – a little bit of the bands did – but it impacted our traffic in a big way,” Snyder said.

To avoid the weather system, planes must go in a different pattern, which can create a capacity issue.

“So you have to meter that out, spread that out so that you’re not overworking the controllers or the system itself,” said Snyder. “That’s where delays come from.”

The FAA employs similar measures to deal with other constraints, like when airport construction impacts runway capacity, flight volume is too high, or there’s a staffing shortage.

Nationally, the FAA is down about 3,000 air traffic controllers.

“If there is an area that doesn’t have the staffing, we’re going to slow traffic down because safety is always first,” Snyder said.

That’s why the agency is pushing to bring in more people. The FAA says it hired 1,500 controllers in 2023 and is on track to hire 1,800 more this year.

The agency is also updating severe weather plans, employing new surface surveillance technologies at some airports, and taking other steps to increase efficiency this summer.

“We’re going to make sure that you’re safe,” Snyder said. “And that may cause cost a little bit of time, but it’s worth it.”

With an intense hurricane season forecasted for this year, we’ll probably see a lot more weather-related delays in the coming months. Next time you experience a disruption, the FAA hopes you remember there’s a safety reason behind it.