Editorial: Get answers about delays

Friday, Dec. 10, 2004 | 9:02 a.m.

In October there was an increase over the previous month in the percentage of flight delays at the 31 major airports in the United States, with almost 18 percent of flights experiencing a delay. At Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport it was even worse, with more than 6,000 flights -- nearly 23 percent -- being delayed by at least 15 minutes. McCarran's performance was especially bad when compared to other airports, as it had the second-highest percentage of delayed departures in October and the third-highest rate of delayed arrivals. The statistics are undeniable, but it's not yet clear why McCarran is doing so poorly. Local and federal aviation officials haven't provided a definitive answer, as each side engages in finger-pointing.

Randy Walker, director of McCarran, says that part of the reason for the delays in October can be traced to bad weather, a major convention here and two visits to Las Vegas by President Bush. But Walker also points to other aggravating factors that contribute to delays throughout the year, such as a severe limitation on the airspace available for an increasing number of flights and the lack of a system by the Federal Aviation Administration for prioritizing takeoffs. The net result, according to Walker, is that flights stack up in Las Vegas since the FAA doesn't make sure that takeoffs are distributed equally among all airports in the region.

The FAA vigorously denies Walker's claims, saying that air traffic congestion didn't play any role in the delays. Further, an FAA official said, if too many airlines seek to depart McCarran at times that are too close together, then that can contribute to a traffic jam, causing delays in turn. And while the FAA suggested Walker could do a better job of managing this from his vantage point, Walker countered that he doesn't have the authority to set airlines' schedules. What we do know is that in a tourism-dominated city such as ours, where air travel is critical to our current and future success, it is troubling that one-quarter of local flights experience a delay. The Nevada congressional delegation should start asking tough questions of both McCarran and FAA officials to see exactly what's causing the delays and what steps can be taken to reduce them.