Analysis of Excess Flying Time in the National Airspace System

Research on the United States (U.S.) National Airspace System (NAS) has sought answers to the following questions: Is there measurable excess flying time in the NAS? If so, where does it occur? Using aircraft track and flight information for multiple years, we have discovered a significant level of excess flying time when using a "best observed" flying time as a standard. In the en route regime, 4 to 5 minutes per flight, in good weather, can be detected. Drilling down to a fine-grained geographic mesh on a map of the U.S. enables detection of specific locations of significant delay. These locations can be associated with operational sectors. This information has allowed an examination of changes over time and should aid in focusing the scarce Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) funding for congestion management.