CHICAGO DEPARTMENT OF AVIATION, FAA KICK OFF
NEW O'HARE DELAY TASK FORCE
May 21, 2001-Following the urging of the Federal government on April 26, 2001, the City of Chicago announced today the formation of the O'Hare Delay Task Force with the objective of identifying both near-term and long-term solutions to the existing delay situation at O'Hare International Airport. "We look forward to working together to help bring congestion relief to travelers at O'Hare," said Chicago Aviation Commissioner Thomas R. Walker. Noting that delays at O'Hare declined 40% following implementation of recommendations from the 1991 Chicago Delay Task Force, Commissioner Walker said, "Prior focused efforts bore real fruit, and we're hopeful that we can again achieve meaningful progress."
The City and the FAA indicated the first meeting of the Task Force will take place in approximately two weeks. As in 1991, the Task Force will primarily attempt to identify physical and operational initiatives to reduce delay.
Unlike the previous effort, however, the new Task Force is not expected to review Midway Airport operations in detail, except to the extent that any airspace changes are envisioned. The new effort may also examine various demand management techniques, like pending congressional proposals to expand the use of airline scheduling conferences under a grant of antitrust immunity to help relieve delays.
The effort will be chaired by both the City and the FAA, with input from the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Indiana Department of Transportation, representatives of O'Hare's hub carriers, spoke carriers, Midway's two largest air carriers, foreign air carriers, new entrants, and business/general aviation. The City named Kitty Freidheim, Managing Deputy Commissioner of Aviation, and FAA named Philip Smithmeyer, Manager of its Chicago Airports District Office, as co-chairs of the new Task Force.
Cecelia Hunziker, Regional Administrator for the Great Lakes Region of the FAA, said, "The FAA will provide extensive technical assistance, with participation from its airports district office, from its air traffic terminal operation at O'Hare and in Elgin, its air traffic enroute operation in Aurora, its Airways Facilities Division and its regional office in Des Plaines."
"This group will be technical in nature, charged with identifying operational, technical and physical initiatives that may have a positive impact on delay," said Commissioner Walker. To the extent the Task Force identifies or endorses any alternatives, an appropriate public process would take place to address the potential impacts of the recommendation.
