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Senator Charles Schumer of New York has sponsored a bill in Congress requiring airports to control air traffic with GPS tracking rather than the radar that has been used for years. He feels that the outdated and inadequate infrastructure of the transportation industry must be replaced. By using GPS to track flights, the location of the aircraft will be broadcast much more frequently than with radar which will make the skies that much safer. Also, with the new system and with the proper equipment installed, pilots would be able to see other aircraft in their vicinity which could help them avoid collisions on the runway, as well as other accidents.

The switch from radar to GPS would reduce flight delays by an impressive 21%. This is very significant if the U.S. Travel Association’s study was accurate in their assessment of 2007 flight delays which showed that delays caused $32.9 billion in the United States that year. The problem with delays is that they lead to the cancellation of flights which causes passengers to then miss connections.

The study also revealed that if someone endures enough hassles, they may well decide to drive or travel some other way the next time. The updated technology would be paid by an already existing federal tax on airline tickets without any increase according to Senator Schumer. However, not all of his colleagues have embraced the idea of assisting the airlines to pay for the equipment since it would save money for the industry in the long run.

The new equipment could cost as must as $4 billion and the Obama Administration has given the green light to begin installing the necessary equipment. The difference between GPS and radar is that data is automatically received from the aircraft through the GPS tracking whereas radar must be scanned. GPS will give updates each second while radar updates take several seconds.  The FAA will need to deploy new ground stations but they are much less expensive than radar and their small size makes them easier to locate.

Proponents of the bill say that despite the large investment to equip 7,000 airlines and more than 200,000 other craft such as small planes and helicopters, moving in this direction will help the United States to maintain their competitiveness in the global market by reducing costs and increasing productivity. Hopefully, the cost will be borne by someone other than the passenger.

Article Written by Greg Bartlett