Originally published at: Storms Shred Airline Schedules - AVweb
Severe weather in Atlanta, Houston and Charlotte creates headaches everywhere.
Biggest problem is that the airlines schedule their flights as if it is VFR weather all the time. So when there is a weather event it slows everything down. The hailstorm in ATL is just a rare event, that required inspections for hail damage. The ATL storm is a perfect example of one of the weaknesses of the hub system most airlines like to use. If a hub airport has delays, those delays ripple through that airlines’ entire system. Next is the shortage of controllers. They can only do so much. On the other hand I have seen areas shut down for weather that could have been navigated. ADS-B has not resulted in the promised efficiency that was sold to those who had to pay many $ for equipment. Instead it has been used more for enforcement and user/landing fees, something it was not originally intended for. Until more runways/airports are built, very little will change. Can’t blame this on GA, since GA is not allowed into DCA, the DCA area airspace is a perfect example of airlines overloading the system.
The FAA and the airlines need to be planning for how we’re going to cope with these types of events as they occur more frequently. We are playing with loaded dice.