Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Better information needed to prevent tarmac delays

Federal officials say they are considering ways to better share information among airlines, airports and air traffic controllers to prevent passengers from becoming trapped for hours on tarmacs during bad weather.

Federal Aviation Administrator Randy Babbitt told an aviation forum Wednesday the nightmare scenario that occurred last month at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut during a snowstorm might have been avoided or mitigated if airlines had understood the conditions at the airport before sending planes there.

Hundreds of passengers were stuck on planes, some for more than seven hours, after 28 flights were diverted to Bradley because of weather and equipment problems at New York area airports.

Babbitt said airlines could have sent planes to other airports if they'd known so many flights were going to Bradley.

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