Caught up in the Flow

As pilots or passengers, we fly to go somewhere. That somewhere isnt on an airport ramp, crammed for hours into a stationary airliner. And its not cooling your heels in the runup area with the engine shut down.

Editorial Staff

Monday, December 01, 2014 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Air travel delays are a necessary safety measure, implemented when the National Airspace System (NAS) components like airports or radar sectors approach or exceed their finite capacity due to factors such as weather, limited visual separation, or airline over-scheduling.
Traffic Management Units (TMUs) and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) are responsible for continuously monitoring and predicting congestion across the entire NAS to prevent dangerous overloads.
ATC employs various flow control strategies, including "miles in trail" separation, Ground Delay Programs (ground stops), and Expect Departure Clearance Times (EDCTs), to safely manage traffic by keeping aircraft on the ground rather than in an overcrowded sky or airport.

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As pilots or passengers, we fly to go somewhere. That “somewhere” isn’t on an airport ramp, crammed for hours into a stationary airliner. And it’s not cooling your heels in the runup area with the engine shut down.

No one likes to experience aviatus interruptus. A delay is a strong sign that your destination, or a facility along your route, is reaching—or has exceeded—its maximum safe capacity.