Just the kind of thing needed for everyone to continue questioning in the current air traffic control situation at area airports. Two planes almost collided on Sunday at JFK Airport. Senator Charles Schumer said that an air traffic controller said, "That was the closest I have ever seen two airplanes get together." According to the NY Times (also, see image at right), a "37-seat commuter jet" almost collided with a "Boeing 747 cargo jet on... more ›

A new plan adopted by the FAA yesterday hopes to decrease delays in airports around the nation by 20%. The focus of the plan is on airports in New York, New Jersey, and Philadelpha, where delays can cause a ripple effect on the rest of the nation's air traffic. The Airspace Redesign Project, as the FAA is calling it, is supposed to modernize the systems in the affected airports (Newark, JFK, LaGuardia, and Philadelphia International) and help prepare for the future. Additionally, the FAA says that the project will reduce noise levels for more than 600,000 people, and reduce fuel burn and emissions by 20% by 2011. more ›

NYC is #1 when it comes to air travel misery according to an FAA report of travel stats between January and April of this year. 38% of all flights at area airports––Newark, JFK, and Laguardia––were either delayed or cancelled during the period. If one's flight was lucky enough to simply be delayed, the average delay at Newark was 95 minutes, at Laguardia one was only put off schedule by an hour. These are the averages! Given the complicated dance of making connections to get to certain destinations, this strikes us as completely insane. more ›

This is good to know as well as spooky stuff from Senator Charles Schumer: JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark air traffic control towers are understaffed by 30%. Newark has 29, when it should have 40 air traffic controllers; JFK and LaGuardia each require 36, but JFK has 30 and LaGuardia only has 27. That sounds really great, especially since NYC had the worst airport delays of any airports in the country. more ›

The FAA is going to be busy at Newark. Yesterday evening, a plane taxiing for take-off clipped wings with another plane that was being towed. The Port Authority said "the left wing of outbound Lufthansa Flight 403, a Boeing 747, and the right wing of a Continental Boeing 757 under tow bumped at about 6:30PM." No one was injured, and the 294 Lufthansa passengers were moved to another plane. Continental says its plane was empty and stationary. The FAA will be investigating damage to the wings as well as seeing what may have caused the collision. more ›

This is not a good time for Newark Liberty Airport. First there was the TSA sting to see how well screeners would do with undercover agents traveling with 'bombs" and things (not well). And now there's a story about a pilot landing a plane on a taxiway instead of a runway. more ›

- Some equipment is up to 30 years old. Schumer is looking for Senate funding for a new $60 million tower, before things go terribly wrong. more ›

The FAA has big (jet) plans for La Guardia Airport. more ›

Excellent timing for Thanksgiving week air travel. Senator Charles Schumer has taken various data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to confirm what we all suspected: LaGuardia, Kennedy, and Newark airports have the worst on-time arrival records amongst the 33 busiest airports. He says our three area airports are "not functioning as world-class airports." The facts: 30% of JFK's flights arrived late, while 33% of Laguardia's were late...and Newark placed last with 34% late flights; the national average is 25%. The FAA says that there are other factors involved not included in the statistics, such as weather issues and how slight weather issues affecting crews (if a crew is delayed, they may not be able to work the next flight). But Schumer wants the FAA to pony up money for funding for the three lagging airports, so perhaps the FAA has reason to accentuate the positive. Schumer is concerned that the crappy airport performance will negatively affect the tourism economy. And he probably doesn't want Senators Santorum or Specter to start crowing about Philadelphia International Airport as a good option for NYC tourists to fly into. more ›

A sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River near the the South Street Seaport helipad this afternoon, injuring all seven people aboard. The passengers were able to be rescued quickly because the police had harbor units conducting a drill, according to Newsday, and the passengers stood on the chopper's inflated pontoons for rescue. The FAA says the helicopter made a hard landing, but the cause of the helicopter failure is unclear. Gothamist is glad that the passengers and pilot seem to be okay, and these tourists are not only lucky they are safe, they have experienced something many New Yorkers have never: The waters of the East River. Update: WNBC reports that one person is in a coma. more ›