A high-stakes meeting Wednesday in Washington could set limits on flights in and out of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago.
The Federal Aviation Administration called together airlines, the Chicago Department of Aviation and its own staffers to discuss its plan to limit the world’s busiest airport to 2,800 take-offs and landings per day during peak periods.
The agency cited a report by airline data company Cirium that projected O’Hare could see more than three thousand flight operations on peak days, which it argues leads to flight delays and other issues.
“This proposed increase is significant and would stress the runway, terminal, and air traffic control systems at the airport,” the FAA said.
“Right now the FAA is thinking the summer flight schedule is so intense. there could be runway delays, but when you have that you have overworked air traffic controllers,” said Joe Scwieterman, the director of the Chaddick Institute at DePaul University. “Just last year, the control towers were stretched too thin; they had to cut flights. There is a real risk of that if a solution can’t be found.”
The FAA could set the number of flight operations at 2,800 per day. That would reduce the number of flights available during the high-traffic spring break and summer seasons.
“That would impact me. I fly quite a bit. I have a second home in Florida,” said frequent flier Karen Fritze.
“If its for the greater good, I really don’t have a problem with it, but how would the travelers be affected? wondered Diamond Jones. He worries that prices will increase with fewer flights available.
Another factor playing into the FAA’s decision: an ongoing battle for gate space between United and American. Dallas-based American wants to add more gates at O’Hare where local airline United is dominant.
“This is a whole new level of dispute resolution,” Schwieterman said.
A third factor cited by the FAA is the ongoing construction at O’Hare. The airport is in the midst of a $6 billion renovation that will include the construction of a new global terminal to replace Terminal 2.
In a statement issued last week, the Chicago Department of Aviation said:
“The CDA looks forward to continued collaboration with the U.S. Department of Transportation and airline partners in the days ahead to finalize a temporary adjustment to the summer schedule at O’Hare that ensures safe and efficient operations while taking into account current gate availability, air traffic control staffing capacity, and ongoing construction activity.”
For travelers like George Smolak, who is traveling with his wife to their second home in Arizona, the inconveniences of fewer flights and higher costs are trumped by concerns over safety.
“Safety should be the number one issue to consider; you can only handle so many flights,” he said.
A final determination is expected in the next few weeks.
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