Flight Delays Costing U.S. $41 Billion

(AP)  Flight delays are enough of a headache. Now Congress is saying that getting stuck in airports and on runways is a "$41 billion punch in the gut."

The congressional Joint Economic Committee, in a report released Thursday, found that the total cost of domestic air traffic delays to the American economy in 2007 was almost $41 billion.

That included $19 billion in extra operating costs for the airlines, $12 billion in costs to passengers from reduced productivity and lost business and leisure opportunities and almost $10 billion in indirect costs, particularly to food and lodging industries that rely on air traffic.

"Passengers, airlines and our economy felt a $41 billion punch in the gut from flight delays," said Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., chairman of the committee. "With the summer travel season being kicked off with Memorial Day, delays and the costs of those delays will only go up."

Missed connections, disrupted ground travel plans, lost pre-paid hotel reservations and missed meetings were among the factors considered for passenger costs.

Schumer, presenting the report along with committee Vice Chair Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., said the cost estimate was conservative because it did not include flights canceled entirely and applied only to domestic flights.

Delays, he said, "aren't just an annoyance, they are a serious blow to our economy."

The costs to the airlines included $1.6 billion to pay for extra jet fuel. The report said there were 740 million additional gallons of jet fuel used, and calculated the cost assuming an average wholesale price of $2.15 a gallon last year.

It said that burning fuel during delays released an additional 7.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

The committee examined more than 10 million individual flight records from the Department of Transportation. It used DOT guidelines in setting a value of $37.60 per passenger per delay hour.

Those delays reached 320 million hours last year, about 20 percent of domestic flight time. The worst delays were experienced out of major airports in the Northeast and Midwest. Estimated minutes of departure delay per passenger were 30 minutes out of New York Laguardia, 27 minutes out of JFK in New York, 25 minutes at Philadelphia International and 21 minutes at Chicago's O'Hare.

Schumer said the committee found that only 6 percent of delays were caused by weather or security-related issues. The overwhelming causes were systemic congestion problems that will only get worse as air passengers increase from about 700 million a year today to an estimated 1.1 billion in 2025.

He said the Federal Aviation Administration should move quickly to modernize its air traffic control system and increase the number of air traffic controllers.

The Senate earlier this month considered major legislation to overhaul the FAA, but the bill failed to advance because of partisan differences over non-aviation-related measures in the bill.

The FAA said Thursday that it is taking several steps to reduce delays during the summer travel season. It will increase capacity along the East Coast over the Atlantic by reducing lateral separation from 90 miles to 50 miles for aircraft with avionics that provide an appropriate level of accuracy.

It said that new routes will be in place to provide other options during periods of severe weather and it will use a program launched last year that automatically identifies unused arrival slots at airports affected by delays.

[whofhearted0]

I am beside myself by most of the stupidity already displayed here in the previous comments. Get a life you people. Posted by rudy654 at 03:21 AM : May 23, 2008


I am beside myself that people like rudy666 survived adolescence for the sole purpose of posting specious comments with the intent of pissing off other well-intentioned people.

Is THAT what YOU live for rudy666? Trolling??

A troll is an individual who chronically posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the fact that they have no real interest in learning about the topic at hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the ugly creatures they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and as such, they are recognized as a lower form of life, as in, %u201COh, ignore her/him, she/he''s just a troll.%u201D

Get a life, rudy666!!

[fake-id-2009]

I am beside myself by most of the stupidity already displayed here in the previous comments. Get a life you people. --------- Posted by rudy654 at 03:21 AM : May 23, 2008


So, why did YOU post here, rudy666? You had absolutely nothing to say about the story.

You''re just an effing troll; a stupid effing troll. A dumb f**k!! You probably prowl the streets at night looking for trouble...

[rudy654-2009]

I am beside myself by most of the stupidity already displayed here in the previous comments. Get a life you people.

[whofhearted0]

I think the rising cost of fuel will quickly fix this problem. Fewer flights will mean less congestion, less time to take off and land, and probably less waiting time between flights. Of course, fewer people will be flying on the fewer flights, and so the airports and nearby roads/highways will be less crowded.

Fewer flights will also be good for the earth; fewer contrails will add less to global warming and overall polution.

And fewer flights should mean fewer air traffic controllers, not more. So, since ATC people are on the federal dole, that''s fewer tax dollars going to support air traffic control.

Not to mention, we shouldn''t need any new airports for a very long time. More tax dollars saved...

[brianbwb-2009]

"Sure you can work remotely.. But how can ya have $E x remotely? Never mind.. I don''''t want to know how ya do it.." Posted by cornbiker

If someone is so uncool that they cannot find gratification without having to fly to it, then perhaps it is better that they don''t produce more of themselves...; )

[fake-id-2009]

With ALL of the Airlines out of business, we get ALL THAT OIL for making GAS, and the price will surely come down! I could care less about the greedy Airlines! ... Posted by DaVicar2 at 03:06 PM : May 22, 2008


I agree. And the cost of flying is making driving far more affordable, especially for two or more. I can still drive my small motorhome (10 mpg) to any given place in the U.S. for a fraction of the cost of two or more people flying there. Even solo, it''s break-even, considering the cost of meals and staying in a hotel.

[brianbwb-2009]

How is it that money not spent becomes a "cost"? If someone decides to cancel a flight, that is not a loss of money, it is only the loss of potential. The money hasn''t been "lost'' it is still in the possession of the original owner.

Whoever does these numbers is obviously thinking from a bottle of jack. To be a cost, you must have spent it, to be a loss you must have first possessed it.

Using their logic, I could claim that because I wasn''t paid a billion dollars for my services, I have "lost" a billion dollars.

[fstop100]

they overbook and over schedule flights.
but it isn''t their fault?