Citing increased delays if such a restriction wasn't in place, the FAA announced Thursday the agency will likely extend a cap on the number of flights into Chicago's O'Hare airport until October 28. If the agency's preliminary decision stands, it will be the third time the restrictions -- first put into place in August 2004 -- have been extended.
The restriction caps the combined number of domestic airline arrivals to 88 per hour between 7 am and 8 pm, down from more than 120 per hour before the restriction was put into effect.
The FAA says that if the restriction were lifted, congestion-related delays would likely return to O'Hare -- along with the airport's former standing as the most delay-prone of the nation's 31 busiest airports. Agency spokesman Tony Molinaro told the Associated Press that the cap has reduced the number of delayed flights to O'Hare by as much as 30 percent.
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The restriction caps the combined number of domestic airline arrivals to 88 per hour between 7 am and 8 pm, down from more than 120 per hour before the restriction was put into effect.
The FAA says that if the restriction were lifted, congestion-related delays would likely return to O'Hare -- along with the airport's former standing as the most delay-prone of the nation's 31 busiest airports. Agency spokesman Tony Molinaro told the Associated Press that the cap has reduced the number of delayed flights to O'Hare by as much as 30 percent.
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