NBAA: Prepare For Holiday Volume

Before the start of the busy holiday travel season, the NBAA released a notice advising members to be wary of flight delays due to changes in the air traffic control flow. As we bump into the Christmas and New Year holiday, it might be a good idea to review the organization’s warnings. The NBAA claims that during the winter months — specifically on Thursdays, Fridays, Sundays and days associated with holidays — the increased volume of general aviation traffic to and from Florida terminals and the New York metropolitan area results in departure and en route delays to all National Airspace System (NAS) operators. The NBAA has compiled a list of suggestions to help reduce these delays. RVSM-equipped NBAA member aircraft should take advantage of this technology allowing unrestricted use of the offshore A761/R511 Radar Routes to travel up and down the East Coast between the New York and Florida areas. Crews are encouraged to file these routes between the specified city pairs whenever peak-volume periods exist. During non-peak times, operators should file preferred routes but indicate “offshore capable” in the Remarks section of the flight plan. This will allow ATC to move aircraft to this route instead of piling up long departure delays. Operators using these routes will be exempt from or experience minimal traffic management initiatives, such as miles-in-trail and ground stops. The NBAA also suggests operators file flight plans on anticipated high-volume days as soon as possible and no less than three hours in advance, where possible, to assist ATC in anticipating the extra volume to make effective and appropriate traffic-management decisions.