FAA tries to ease flight congestion

The Federal Aviation Administration has started intentionally delaying flights to prevent the return of widespread gridlock. The FAA is predicting that flight delays will be up this spring and summer as air traffic reaches or exceeds record levels prior to 9-11. The FAA says by adding modest delays of about 15 minutes to some flights they hope to reduce late-arriving flights overall. The new effort won’t eliminate delays, most of which are caused by bad weather, but FAA officials hope it will reduce their severity. This marks the first time ever that the FAA will not give automatic priority to the first aircraft to request a takeoff or landing on days when delays are severe. Report by David Wilkening