Given the government financial help for the airlines, driven by the coronavirus pandemic, along with paying the bills, airlines can use the current operational pause to dramatically increase airline quality.

Specifically, to rapidly improve passenger quality, help ATC, increase employee morale, lower costs, boost airport throughput and cut costs, while also reducing CO2, airlines can “fix the factory” with the 3 year goal of Operational Excellence (85% A0, <3% day to day A0 Standard Deviation, 8 to 10 minute scheduled block/gate time reduction per flight). And the first critical step in achieving Operational Excellence - put the passenger where they were promised, when they were promised over, and over, and over........again.

For example, and contrary to conventional wisdom, most airline delays/congestion and their costs/CO2 need not happen, as an FAA validated solution exists.

Clearly, after 40 years of effort and $100s of Billions of tax dollars without success, aviation needs a new direction to solve the decades old delay/congestion/emissions problem. In fact, with the available tools already in place (data, internet, hardware, real time optimization software, communications, etc.), driven by the right vision and leadership, delays/congestion/ emissions can be quickly reduced, while also moving the country/airline that provides this leadership into the preeminent position within aviation around the world.

Sadly, for all of my decades dealing with airline operational and ATC issues, we have heard over and over again what can’t be done and why delays/congestion can’t be fixed - too hard, too expensive, too many variables, etc. Aviation needs to go from can’t, to what can be done now.

That said, a solution exists today to reduce airline delays, congestion, emissions, and even noise, while increasing safety, starting within months. FAA proved this (FAA Task J Report), Embry-Riddle proved this (Dr. Vitaly Guzhva and Dr. Ahmed Abdelghany), Georgia Tech proved this (Dr. John-Paul Clark) and GE Aviation proved this (Dubai FLOW Report).

Also consider that, after careful analysis, Captain Tom Hendricks (Delta Dir Line Ops, now retired) stated that, “I feel confident in telling you that Attila™ RTAs are something we need to get on board with and do it in a big way” (Checklist publication - Confessions of an Attila™ Doubter).

No grandiose, hugely expensive, highly complex plan. No new technology. No more studies. No decades more waiting for ATC. The tools to do this already exist, right now, today.

As outlined in my latest article (link below), we must turn those decades old, no longer valid assumptions around and show the path forward of how delays/congestion CAN be rapidly fixed (starting within months).

• Aviation Needs a New Direction — Driven by Vision and Leadership (Managing the Skies, Nov/Dec 2019)

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Additional articles outlining why the Operational Excellence solution (85% A0, <3% day to day A0 Standard Deviation, 8 to 10 minute scheduled block/gate time reduction per flight), driven by Business Based Flow Management (BBFM), is the path forward to make airlines dramatically better and more profitable. Like Toyota did in the 1980s for the auto industry, all it takes is one airline and/or ANSP to lead the way.

• Air Traffic Control Is Not The Real Cause Of Airline Delays (Forbes.com, 2017-03-23)
• Fastest Airlines in the U.S. (Forbes.com, 2019-06-17)
• Why Airlines Make Flight Longer on Purpose (BBC Capital Smart Travel, 2019-04-09)
• Not Working! (ATCA Tech Symposium, Atlantic City, 2018-05-16)
• Parked Planes Cost Airlines Billions (Forbes.com, 2017-08-15)