Fiscal woes delay airline upgrades By Alan Levin, USA TODAY WASHINGTON =97 The economic problems ravaging the airline industry could=20 imperil or delay several programs to modernize the nation's aviation=20 system. Federal officials and aviation experts fear that the industry will= =20 not have the money to ease delays and improve communications.That=20 investment is key because the next wave of technologies will be based in=20 cockpits instead of on the ground. The Federal Aviation Administration=20 estimates airlines and private jet owners need to spend $11 billion in the= =20 next decade on these technologies.But airlines, which have been set back by= =20 terrorist attacks and a slow economy, expect to lose $7 billion this year.= =20 Airlines say they remain committed to FAA-sponsored programs. "However, at= =20 the moment, we are struggling for our financial survival," says Michael=20 Wascom of the trade group, the Air Transport Association.At US Airways,=20 which entered bankruptcy protection earlier this year, the court must=20 approve all major expenditures. Several other airline officials told USA=20 TODAY that their companies' financial situations made it difficult to=20 justify large new expenditures.The issue highlights a dilemma. Economists=20 and government officials say continued investment in the aviation system is= =20 essential to assure growth. But investing in specific programs rarely makes= =20 financial sense on the bottom line, so companies postpone spending as long= =20 as possible. The FAA's Charles Keegan, who oversees attempts to modernize air traffic,=20 is concerned. "The condition of the major carriers could limit their=20 ability to equip with what's necessary to implement these new programs," he= =20 says.Among the programs that are threatened:=B7Connecting pilots and=20 controllers with e-mail. Allowing routine air traffic commands to be=20 transmitted by e-mail could immediately improve traffic flows. But airlines= =20 must invest up to $100,000 per aircraft to make it work. =B7Adding= navigation=20 equipment that would cut delays in bad weather and improve safety at a cost= =20 of several hundred thousand dollars per aircraft. =B7Adding capacity to=20 high-altitude airspace. New equipment would allow many more jets to squeeze= =20 into some congested areas. The airlines say they will be ready for the=20 change, but charter companies and private jet owners are lobbying the FAA=20 to delay implementation for cost reasons. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (ReadyMix) http://www.readymix.co.tt/ (ReadyMix Cement Ltd) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************