F.A.A. COMPUTER TROUBLE CAUSES FLIGHT DELAYS The trouble, which developed about 1:25 p.m., Eastern time, was a failure of a processing system that handles flight plans filed by airlines before their aircraft take off. The agency shifted the processing to a backup system in Salt Lake City, which generally shares the processing load with the Atlanta center, and airlines were told that some flight plans would have to be refiled before planes could leave the ground. The problem was “pretty much resolved” by early evening, said an F.A.A. spokeswoman, Diane Spitaliere. Though the Atlanta center remained out of service Tuesday night, Ms. Spitaliere said, the Salt Lake City facility was able to handle the full load. Passengers’ safety had not been affected, since the trouble did not compromise the agency’s ability to track flights in the air. The most serious delays took place at Logan International Airport in Boston, Hartsfield in Atlanta, and O’Hare and Midway in Chicago. The trouble coincided with the winding down of the busy summer travel season. Generally, about 5,000 aircraft are in the skies over the United States at any given time on an average summer weekday. AIRLINE GROUP EXPECTS LABOR DAY TRAVEL DECLINE An airline trade group expects Labor Day travel to drop by 5.7% this year, as rising airfares and schedule cuts keep travelers home. The Air Transport Association of America projected that 16 million paying passengers will fly globally on U.S. airlines between Aug. 27 and Sept. 3. That would be down 5.7% from the 17 million passengers during the same period last year. The projection includes a 6.5% drop in domestic travel and a 1% increase in international travel. The ATA said jet fuel prices averaged $160.47 per barrel from June 1 to Aug. 12 — up 79% from the same period last year.In addition to higher airfares and tighter schedules, the ATA said travel is being discouraged by higher energy prices, which have left consumers with less money to spend. AIRLINES CUT FLIGHTS OUT OF NEW YORK Starting next month, nonstop flights between New York and 25 domestic and international cities will disappear, and service to another 55 cities will be sharply curtailed, according to an airline-ticket research site that analyzed fall flight schedules at the request of Crain's. All told, domestic capacity nationwide is scheduled to shrink by 13%—or 70 million seats—by next year, according to Federal Aviation Administration data. The federal agency does not track the information for local markets. Whatever the reasons, New Yorkers will be inconvenienced by the reduced number of flights to all corners of the country. In September, for example, Delta is trimming 16 nonstop routes from its lineup, including Myrtle Beach, S.C., while Continental is eliminating 14 destinations, including Salt Lake City, Utah, and San Jose, Calif. American Airlines is also dropping 14 cities, including Charlotte, N.C., and Memphis. International cities losing nonstop service from New York: Bangkok, Thailand; Barranquilla, Colombia; Bologna, Italy; Bucharest, Romania; Cologne, Germany; Knock, Ireland; Lagos, Nigeria; Liverpool, England; London-Luton, England; London-Stansted, England; Naples, Italy; Palermo, Italy; Papeete, Tahiti
OVATION CLUB E-NEWSLETTER WEEKLY SURVEY! The Ovation Club E-Newsletter Weekly Survey gives you the opportunity to weigh in by voting your opinion on hot topics in business travel. You can also post comments online on the topic of the week. Question of the Week: Do you agree with some airlines' decision to start charging for items such as blankets, pillows and beverages?
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