Delays And Congestion At Frontiers East - 1089 Words

Passenger air travel has been forecasted to increase to over 1 billion persons annually by 2023. This alone has a great likelihood of negatively impacting airport capacity at several of Frontier Airlines’ major hubs due to inefficient runway use. This case study will focus on delays and congestion at Frontier’s east coast hub, Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), and how improvements can effectively reduce the amount of delayed flights Frontier consistently experiences. Background Philadelphia Municipal Airport opened on June 20, 1940 along the banks of the Delaware River. By year’s end, approximately 40,000 passengers travelled through the airport. By 1945, the municipal airport became Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) courtesy of transatlantic service by American Overseas Airlines. In the 1960s and 1970s, expansion and modernization paved way for the airport facility in use today. Increased popularity of air travel, population growth, and urban development have all contributed to the increase in congestion and decrease in capacity at PHL over the years. FAA records as far back as 1995 show that PHL ranked consistently as one of the most delayed airports (FAA, 2010). Many of these delays at PHL have secondary and tertiary effects at the airports to which the originating flights are destined. Hub and spoke carrier passengers depending on their on-time arrival may miss connecting flights and, at times, additional onward flights, cruises, or other important events.