=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/c/a/2007/09/06/EDTPRVKHK.= DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, September 6, 2007 (SF Chronicle) Fear of flying AFTER THE WORST year ever for flight delays, the nation's creaking and overburdened air traffic system may get a major overhaul. That is, if Congress wills it and the money can be found. The problem is obvious to anyone who has buckled up lately. One in 3 flights is delayed. Bad weather, rising demand, and even a plethora of smaller planes, are blamed in a finger-pointing circle that has upped the anger but produced few improvements. While major airlines are flying back to profitability, passengers are worse off. The mixed blessing of airline food is mostly missing, and travelers are asked to check themselves in, lumber through security checkpoints like livestock, and endure overbooking and long waits on the ground. If Dante could update the Inferno, he would likely make air travel one of the circles of Hell. One factor in this sour experience has escaped notice until now: a World War II-era air traffic system. Planes are tracked and guided by radar, which obliges controllers to space out flights because location and altitude are imprecise. The lumbering Federal Aviation Administration, at long last, wants to ju= nk this set-up in favor of satellite positioning, similar to the dashboard gizmos that give cars and delivery trucks pinpoint directions. Last week, with little fanfare, the FAA signed the first leg of a $1.8 billion contract with ITT Corp. to build satellite-tracking stations. The new system could save travel time, improve safety and cut pollution. A multiyear test of the equipment in Juneau, Alaska, famed for its hair-raising flight paths near foggy mountains, has cut delays and accidents, officials say. But it won't be cheap or come online quickly. The new system, known as NextGen, won't be ready until 2020. That's far too long to wait. The country is on a pace to grow from 740 million air passengers this year to 1 billion by 2015, five years before the new air traffic system will be ready. This promising technology should be speeded up, if the country is serious about cutting delays. The other headache is Congress. NextGen could eventually cost up to $17 billion, and owners of small planes and personal jets are resisting the higher fees, as one plan suggests. Air traffic controllers may lose jobs. Also, ITT will be allowed to build and own the new flight-tracking system, a fact that troubles some in Congress who want federal ownership. These disputes may delay agreement past a Sept. 30 spending deadline. Washington needs to get over its fear of flying and decide these issues. Waiting longer for an efficient, safe and modern air traffic system would be a new flight delay the public doesn't need. ----------------------------= ------------------------------------------ Copyright 2007 SF Chronicle <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".