What causes flight delays?
One out of four flights in the U.S. was delayed last year, as our aviation infrastructure struggled to meet demand. The FAA projects that the number of annual air travelers will increase 35 percent by 2015 to over 1 billion. In addition, there are many things that can and often do make it difficult for flights to arrive on time. Some of these problems include bad weather, air traffic control restrictions, mechanical repairs or airline personnel issues. Sometimes its difficult for airlines to estimate the total duration of a delay during its early stages. In so-called “creeping delays,” developments occur which were not anticipated when the carrier made its initial estimate of the length of the delay. Weather that had been forecast to improve can instead deteriorate, or a mechanical problem can turn out to be more complex than initially determined.
