FAA cuts distance between planes at O'Hare to squeeze in more flights (ABOUT TIME!) Friday June 11, 2004 CHICAGO (AP) The Federal Aviation Administration will try to reduce flight delays at O'Hare International Airport by cutting in half the distance between planes landing and taking off on intersecting runways. The plan, announced Thursday, will squeeze in about 10 more flights per hour into O'Hare when a certain combination of runways is used, officials said. ``It will permit more flight operations while ensuring the same level of safety,'' FAA spokesman Tony Molinaro said. ``Our goal is to make the airport more efficient and cut down on delays a little more.'' FAA officials developed the plan with American Airlines, United Airlines and pilot and controller unions. It will be implemented Sunday. The new procedure decreases the spacing interval between aircraft to allow more arrivals on O'Hare's longest runway, called 14 Right, and more departures on an intersecting east-west runway, 27 Left. Under the new plan, a plane taking off from 27 Left can pass through the intersection while a plane landing on 14 Right comes within 5,000 feet of the intersection. The existing rule requires a safety cushion of 10,000 feet between aircraft. The plan is part of an ongoing effort by federal and local officials to reduce delays at the nation's most congested airport. In January, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta announced an agreement with United and American airlines to reduce their daily flight schedules by 5 percent. The airlines in March implemented the reductions between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., the peak time for departures and arrivals, with the intent of reducing flight delays. The airport continued to rank at the bottom nationally in on-time performance, according to the Transportation Department, forcing Mineta to order an extra 2.5 percent reduction by United and American, which took effect Thursday. The total comes to about 90 fewer flights a day for the two airlines. (Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)