Category Archives: airports

Flying today? You might experience delays

Thursday11:09 a.m.

If you’re flying today, be sure to check with the airline before leaving for the airport. An equipment outage that affected flights nationwide this morning has been fixed, the Federal Aviation Administration reports. The equipment is back in service, but  some flights may still be delayed throughout the day.

At the Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, there are some minor delays from the outage, said airport spokeswoman Valerie Wise. The AirTran Airways flight scheduled to arrive at 12:24 p.m. and depart for Atlanta at 12:54 has been canceled. It’s the only flight to be canceled in Wichita because of the glitch, Wise said.

Still, Wise said, passengers should call the airlines for updated flight information. The flight schedule may be OK here, but it may affect a connecting flight in another city.

“What you’re going to see now, the airlines unfortunately are going to have to try to get everything back in sync,” said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Cory. “They have to try to get back to their schedules, and at the same time, they’re going to have to try to reposition the planes.”

In addition, some flight crews may be “timing out,” Cory said.

The problem began when one of two FAA centers that handles flight plan information had a problem with the system that files those plans. The other center picked up as much of the information as possible, but some of the overflow had to be entered manually, Cory said.

Flight plans are filed before a flight departs. They include information about the flight, such as the planned destination, route and fuel on board.

Flights in the air were safe, the FAA said. “We could always see planes on radar and talk to them,” Cory said.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airlines, airports | Comments (2)

Wichita Mid-Continent Airport receives grant for new baggage screening system

Sept. 25, 200910:51 a.m.

Wichita Mid-Continent Airport’s new terminal building will include new state-of-the-art baggage screening through a $6.9 million grant from the Transportation Security Administration, the TSA said today.

The baggage system will improve the speed and efficiency of screening operations at the airport, Wichita federal security director Keith Osborn said in a statement.

Instead of carrying bags to the screening area, passengers will be able to check their bags at the airline ticket counter and then go on  to the gate.

In-line screening systems  allow the TSA to screen baggage for explosives more efficiently and  reduces the number of re-scans and physical bag searches, the TSA said.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airports | Comments (1)

Wichita mayor joins USA Today article protest

Sept. 23, 20093:05 p.m.

WICHITA — Last week’s USA Today article, “Feds keep little-used airports in business,” continues to garner loud outcry. The latest to join the protest is Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer.

Brewer along with mayors in Arizona and Iowa sent a joint letter to the editor of USA Today calling the article one that “missed a multitude of facts – most of which contradict the author’s apparent predetermined thesis.”

The article says general aviation airports serve only private pilots.

“The truth is that the FAA has made it a national priority to maintain these airports,” the mayors’ letter said. They’re used by the National Guard, law enforcement, air ambulances, search and rescue operators, flight schools, small businesses, charitable organizations, farmers and ranchers and others. “These airports are a literal lifeline to gain access to resources, businesses and medical care.”

The article’s assessment that the funds are an “unfair subsidy” to small airports is a “downright insult to rural America,” it said.  Besides providing a lifeline to thousands of communities without commercial air service, general aviation generates 1.2 million jobs and $150 billion in economic impact to the U.S., the letter said.  In Kansas, it contributes $7.2 billion a year to the state economy and employ thousands of people.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under aircraft manufacturers, airports, associations, aviation industry | Comments (0)

Aviation trade groups blast USA Today article on small airports

Sept. 17, 20094:55 p.m.

Aviation trade groups have their ire up with a USA Today story entitled “Feds keep little-used airports in business” and a NBC “Today” show companion story that ran on MSNBC cable news.

The trade groups call the story “biased and distorted,” “devoid of journalistic balance” and one that took “a gratuitous and uninformed slap at general aviation.”

The story focuses on spending at general aviation airports, saying that airline ticket tax income fund airports around the country, some of which are little used. In an accounting, USA said it found that Congress has directed $15 billion over 28 years to general aviation airports, “which typically are tucked on country roads and industrial byways.”

What the story doesn’t point out, however, is that general aviation operators contribute to the same trust fund through fuel taxes or that the also fund also pays for the air traffic control system, a system that primarily benefits the airlines, said the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

Community airports serve a vital role for towns with little or no airline service, said the National Business Aviation Association. They provide lifelines for small to midsize businesses, schools, universities and other organizations. They stimulate economic development and are essential for air transportation for the postal service, firefighting, disaster relief, medical evacuations, law enforcement, homeland security, patient and organ transports and other services.

“Congress has long recognized that the upkeep of a national system of airports is an established national priority,” NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen said in a letter to the editor of USA Today.

AOPA also says that :

In 2007, a fairly typical year for Airport Improvement Program funding:

* The FAA distributed $3.34 billion in funds to 2,610 airports.

* Of that, 341 primary airports — airports with more than 100,000 boardings each year — received $2.1 billion of the funds. That’s an average of $6.17 million per airport.

* Overall, the 389 airline airports shared $2.2 billion, averaging $5.5 million per airport. By comparison, 1,121 general aviation that year shared $832 million, averaging $742,000 each.

* Another $310 million was distributed through state block grant programs.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under Uncategorized, airports, associations | Comments (4)

Wichita’s air service part of New York Times article

Aug. 18, 200911:31 a.m.

Wichita’s subsidies to AirTran Airways for service in Wichita was featured in an article in the New York Times about cities that pay for air service to their communities. Read about it here.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airlines, airports | Comments (0)

TSA now requires more information when making air travel reservations

Aug. 17, 200911:08 a.m.

Be prepared to give your date of birth and gender when making your next air travel arrangements.

The  Transportation Security Administration made the change  under its Secure Flight requirement as a way to help streamline the matching of names against a terrorist watch list and avoid misidentifications. That will especially help the travelers who’ve been misidentified in the past.

The airlines will be phasing in the changes over the next few months.

If the airline didn’t request the information when you reserved a flight, don’t worry. The TSA said it shouldn’t impact your travel.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airlines, airports | Comments (0)

Rest and reprieve inside Atlanta’s airport

Aug. 10, 200911:39 a.m.

Last week, I had a three-hour layover at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on my way to Key West. With three books in tow, I wasn’t going to be bored. But a new discovery in Terminal C changed those plans.

I stumbled upon XpresSpa, which opened in April at two locations inside the airport. At Gate C-36, I stopped in to look at their services. The staff asked how long before my flight left when I walked in. Services are tailored to meet your schedule.

I signed up for an express manicure — a quicker version of a full manicure. In the meantime, I leaned back in one of their amazing yellow massage loungers and relaxed. Soft music played in the background.

The spa also offer pedicures, massages, waxing, skin care and facials.

One woman who was getting a pedicure was flying home from South Korea, where she was stationed. She hadn’t seen her three children in 10 months. Another woman had been stranded overnight at the airport after her flight was cancelled due to bad weather and hotel rooms were booked. A man stopped in for a massage.

According to the brochure, XpresSpa operates at 28 gates in 16 airports.

Ahhhhhhh…..

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airlines, airports | Comments (0)

Learning to fly has a few frustrating moments, but it’s still a thrill

July 9, 20093:42 p.m.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you know I’m learning to fly. It’s a sometimes frustrating but always thrilling experience. The good news is, after a hiatus last winter, I’m getting close to earning my private pilot’s license.

Recently, I flew to Ponca City, 56 miles away, and back by myself.

This week, my instructor, Dave Dewhirst, and I did a little flying tour of a few Wichita-area airports.

With the flight, I practiced knowing how things look from the air and matching up what’s out the window with landmarks on a sectional map. (That will go a long way towards avoiding getting lost someday.) Things look different from up there.

The other benefit was to practice flying in to an unfamiliar airport, getting in the pattern and lining up to land properly.

So with Dave in the right seat, I took off from the Augusta Airport, flew to El Dorado, then to Jabara, on to Newton and back to Augusta.
Dave told me to forget that he was even in the plane.

The airports aren’t that far away. But you have to have the information you need handy — such as the radio frequencies, which way the runways are oriented, the airports’ altitudes and direction of the wind. And you have to make decisions about when to begin the descent and how to properly get into the pattern.

I made some mistakes along the way. One was not realizing that the airport I saw on the ground was indeed the Newton Airport. (Duh!) Another was not seeing the Augusta Airport on the way back until I was pretty close to it. Plus, my altitude was too high on the final approach. Ugh!

Needless to say, I’m a little frustrated with myself. But I’m told every student has similar experiences. And that putting it all together comes with practice. I can’t wait until the next lesson.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airports, learnng to fly | Comments Off

Town wants to outlaw flight training, report says

May 28, 200910:36 a.m.

The town council of Grant-Valkaria in Brevard County, Fla., are considering a resolution that would outlaw flight training, including recurrent training, at Valkaria Airport.

The ban would come in the form of a zoning amendment, according to Avweb. An amendment such as that would certainly catch the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration because the airport has received federal funding.

It’s also sure to create a firestorm of opinions.

By Molly McMillin | Filed under airports | Comments (1)