Latest news with #SheldonJacobson
New York Times
23-05-2025
- Climate
- New York Times
A Holiday Weekend Will Be a Test for Newark Airport
Good morning. It's Friday. Today we'll look at the outlook for air travel this weekend, especially at Newark Liberty International Airport. And we'll see how a Times Square office building is turning into housing. The busiest runway for departures at Newark Liberty International Airport is closed. There are lingering concerns about communications disruptions between air traffic controllers and airplanes. There are staffing shortages at control centers, including the one guiding planes to Newark. Sheldon Jacobson, a travel security and safety expert, had already called the problems at Newark 'a perfect storm' — and that was 11 days ago, before a real storm rolled in ahead of the Memorial Day weekend. And the Memorial Day weekend is traditionally the beginning of the summer travel season. His prediction for the next few days at an airport whose troubles are in the spotlight? 'Weather accounts for three-quarters of delays,' he told me on Friday. The prediction from the National Weather Service was for a messy start to the Memorial Day weekend: Mostly cloudy skies at Newark today, with a 30 percent chance of rain, mainly this afternoon, and the possibility of isolated showers on Saturday. Sunday and Monday will be warmer, with some sun on Saturday and more on Sunday and Monday, said James Tomasini, a meteorologist with the agency. By 6 p.m. Thursday, more than 410 flights were late, and 16 had been canceled. Just over 40 percent of the delayed flights and eight of the eight cancellations were United Airlines flights. That is hardly surprising: United accounts for 70 percent of the flights at Newark. But Jacobson said that he was 'cautiously optimistic' about getting through the weekend without worse headaches because the Federal Aviation Administration is now limiting how many planes can take off and land at Newark. Since Tuesday, only 28 arrivals and 28 departures an hour have been allowed. That is far less traffic than Newark once handled. One reason for the reduction is that the longest runway at Newark is closed for resurfacing and will remain out of service until late October. Next month, when much of the work on that runway is finished, six more planes will be allowed to come and go every hour. Rebecca Alesia, an adviser with SmartFlyer in New York City, said that some customers with tickets from Newark had asked to change to flights leaving John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport. 'There's extra demand and strain on those airports,' she said. And if customers are tied to a particular airline — United, she said — 'it's almost impossible to change to another carrier without a seat penalty.' United announced a 'flexibility waiver' that allowed Newark passengers to reschedule flights without having to pay change fees or fare differences. That waiver ends today. Kennedy has its own issues, mostly involving getting into the airport, because a $19 billion overhaul is underway. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs J.F.K. as well as Newark and LaGuardia, is promising two new terminals to make J.F.K. 'the airport that the region deserves' — and streamlined roadways leading to them. But for now, it says the roads around J.F.K. are so clogged that you should take mass transit if you can. If you must drive, the Port Authority says that you should book parking spaces at airport lots in advance. It cautioned that travelers who do not 'pre-book' will be charged a drive-up surcharge and may not find an open parking spot. The Port Authority advises arriving at the airport at least two hours before departure time for domestic flights and three hours for international flights. That is the conventional wisdom. But there are those who follow the social media 'airport theory,' which involves arriving at the airport 15 minutes before flights begin boarding. Michael DiCostanzo, a content creator who believes that he helped start the 15-minute trend with videos about how he breezed through security, said that his point had been misunderstood. He said he just wanted to show that getting to the gate often takes less time than people think it does. He missed the 15-minute mark at J.F.K. The walk from baggage check-in and screening took 18 minutes 57 seconds. He said J.F.K. was 'the worst airport to do this in' because the gates are far from the ticket counters and security checkpoints. 'Any other airport would have been five minutes,' he said. Expect a cloudy day with a chance of showers in the afternoon and the early evening, and a high temperature of 64. At night, it will drop to the low 50s. In effect until Memorial Day (Monday). The latest New York news For a Times Square office tower, an apartment conversion The 38-story office building has been nearly 80 percent vacant for three years, ever since the main tenant moved out. It won't be an office building forever. Officials plan to turn it into an apartment house that will still have some office space, along with roughly 37,000 feet for retailers. The plan is to designate a quarter of the 1,250 units as 'affordable,' which, according to the most recent figures, would rent for roughly $2,174 a month. The typical asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Midtown Manhattan was at least $4,500 in April, according to data from the real estate company StreetEasy. The change was approved by New York State's Economic Development Corporation in a vote that was another sign of how Midtown is changing in the aftermath of the pandemic, which upended traditional work patterns. State and city officials see the decision to repurpose 5 Times Square as part of a push to 'finding anywhere and everywhere we can to build housing.' The state estimates that some 10,000 new apartments have been built or are under construction in former office buildings. Still, my colleague Mihir Zaveri writes that office conversions remain a relatively small part of the city's response to the housing crisis. Many housing experts think the city needs hundreds of thousands of additional homes to break the housing shortage and make things more affordable. Tax breaks help. Office conversions can be problematic — they can be costly and complicated, and developers might resist repurposing buildings if the demand for office space 'stabilizes and comes back a little bit,' said Moses Gates, vice president for housing and neighborhood planning at the Regional Plan Association, a nonprofit civic organization, which supported the conversion. 'We're still in a little bit of uncharted territory here,' he said. Friendly Driver Dear Diary: I was getting on an M5 bus going downtown from Columbia. I was on a call with my husband and hauling a suitcase, which made it difficult to use my phone to pay the fare. 'I love you,' my husband said as I fumbled with the phone. 'I love you too,' the bus driver said. — Simone Pinet Illustrated by Agnes Lee. Send submissions here and read more Metropolitan Diary here. Glad we could get together here. See you Monday. — J.B. P.S. Here's today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. You can find all our puzzles here. Stefano Montali and Ed Shanahan contributed to New York Today. You can reach the team at nytoday@ Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.
USA Today
23-05-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Human air traffic controllers keep flyers safe. Should AI have a role?
Human air traffic controllers keep flyers safe. Should AI have a role? Show Caption Hide Caption Why air traffic controllers are under more pressure than ever Inside the growing stress in U.S. air traffic control towers. Outdated technology and staffing shortages at Newark Liberty International Airport have led to ongoing flight delays and cancellations. Experts warn that underfunding the FAA has prevented necessary technological upgrades and hiring of air traffic controllers. The Transportation Secretary proposed a program to modernize the system and incentivize hiring, but Congressional funding is still needed. Old technology is behind the recent ongoing delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport, but newer technology will be an important part of the solution. To recap, on April 28, air traffic controllers handling inbound traffic at Newark experienced a brief radar and radio outage. Similar failures have occurred at least three times since then, and in response, the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines have reduced the number of flights operating in and out of the airport. It's the kind of failure experts have been warning was inevitable for years. 'All these issues of staffing, all these issues of using copper wires instead of fiber optics, these have been there for a long time,' Sheldon Jacobson, professor of computer science at the University of Illinois' Grainger College of Engineering, told USA TODAY. Jacobson said the technology in air traffic control towers is largely outdated, but like an old car, it worked well until it started breaking down. 'People are now paying attention," he said. 'They put more airplanes in the sky than the system can absorb, and what's happened is we've reached a tipping point. We have so much volume, and we have pretty much the same air traffic control technology for decades." How did we get here? The FAA's air traffic control issues didn't develop overnight, although the current headaches at Newark did catch many travelers by surprise. Industry watchers have long warned that Congress was under-funding the FAA, preventing the agency from upgrading its technology and limiting its ability to hire and train new air traffic controllers. According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the FAA is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide, and continues to rely on outdated technology like floppy disks to perform some crucial functions. Cruising Altitude: Air traffic control keeps planes moving. So why does it cause delays? Still, Jacobson said, that doesn't mean air travel isn't safe. 'The FAA, the airlines, and all of the supporting people have worked diligently to make air travel safer, and it's never been safer," he said. And that's part of the reason there are more delays and cancellations as air traffic control equipment falters. "The only way to ensure the safety is to bring the volume down so we're not at that tipping point," Jacobson said. What solutions have been proposed? Successive administrations from both parties in Washington have promised fixes to the FAA's air traffic control program, but the solutions have been piecemeal so far. Duffy recently announced a sweeping program to upgrade the agency's technology infrastructure, as well as hiring incentives to entice more would-be air traffic controllers. However, a funding commitment from Congress was missing from his announcement. That hurdle has prevented previous administrations from implementing such overhauls. Even if lawmakers fund the Trump administration's proposals, implementing the upgrades will likely take a long time. 'This isn't going to happen in three years. This is going to take several years,' Jacobson said. 'It's expensive and time-consuming.' He also warned that it will add expense, complexity, and time because the upgrades will need to be rolled out without taking the current air traffic control system offline. 'You're trying to update a system while it's still working," he said. Can AI help solve air traffic control issues? Eventually, the FAA will roll out new technology for air traffic control, and while Jacobson said air traffic controllers won't ever be fully replaced by computers, he did acknowledge that new tech has a role to play in optimizing the nation's airspace. 'If we leave that off the table, we're forcing ourselves to use more manpower," he said. Jacobson said that, since the FAA and airlines prioritize safety above all else, it doesn't make sense to remove humans from the air traffic control equation entirely. Pilots' unions have also long advocated the safety importance of having two highly trained aviators in the cockpit of every commercial flight, despite growing calls from some outside groups to explore flight control automation. However, using artificial intelligence and other technology to ease the controllers' burden could actually make the system safer. 'There are a lot of very perfunctory tasks that, working with ATC, an AI system could direct airplanes to," Jacobson said, like issuing initial clearance for pilots to push back from their gates, or guiding them to the start of the taxiway. "You don't compromise safety, that is the most important objective, but you're giving them a little more breathing room or legroom to get their job done." Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Science
- USA Today
'Tipping point': Human air traffic controllers keep flyers safe. Should AI have a role?
'Tipping point': Human air traffic controllers keep flyers safe. Should AI have a role? Show Caption Hide Caption Why air traffic controllers are under more pressure than ever Inside the growing stress in U.S. air traffic control towers. Outdated technology and staffing shortages at Newark Liberty International Airport have led to ongoing flight delays and cancellations. Experts warn that underfunding the FAA has prevented necessary technological upgrades and hiring of air traffic controllers. The Transportation Secretary proposed a program to modernize the system and incentivize hiring, but Congressional funding is still needed. Old technology is behind the recent ongoing delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport, but newer technology will be an important part of the solution. To recap, on April 28, air traffic controllers handling inbound traffic at Newark experienced a brief radar and radio outage. Similar failures have occurred at least three times since then, and in response, the Federal Aviation Administration and airlines have reduced the number of flights operating in and out of the airport. It's the kind of failure experts have been warning was inevitable for years. 'All these issues of staffing, all these issues of using copper wires instead of fiber optics, these have been there for a long time,' Sheldon Jacobson, professor of computer science at the University of Illinois' Grainger College of Engineering, told USA TODAY. Jacobson said the technology in air traffic control towers is largely outdated, but like an old car, it worked well until it started breaking down. 'People are now paying attention," he said. 'They put more airplanes in the sky than the system can absorb, and what's happened is we've reached a tipping point. We have so much volume, and we have pretty much the same air traffic control technology for decades." How did we get here? The FAA's air traffic control issues didn't develop overnight, although the current headaches at Newark did catch many travelers by surprise. Industry watchers have long warned that Congress was under-funding the FAA, preventing the agency from upgrading its technology and limiting its ability to hire and train new air traffic controllers. According to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, the FAA is short about 3,000 air traffic controllers nationwide, and continues to rely on outdated technology like floppy disks to perform some crucial functions. Cruising Altitude: Air traffic control keeps planes moving. So why does it cause delays? Still, Jacobson said, that doesn't mean air travel isn't safe. 'The FAA, the airlines, and all of the supporting people have worked diligently to make air travel safer, and it's never been safer," he said. And that's part of the reason there are more delays and cancellations as air traffic control equipment falters. "The only way to ensure the safety is to bring the volume down so we're not at that tipping point," Jacobson said. What solutions have been proposed? Successive administrations from both parties in Washington have promised fixes to the FAA's air traffic control program, but the solutions have been piecemeal so far. Duffy recently announced a sweeping program to upgrade the agency's technology infrastructure, as well as hiring incentives to entice more would-be air traffic controllers. However, a funding commitment from Congress was missing from his announcement. That hurdle has prevented previous administrations from implementing such overhauls. Even if lawmakers fund the Trump administration's proposals, implementing the upgrades will likely take a long time. 'This isn't going to happen in three years. This is going to take several years,' Jacobson said. 'It's expensive and time-consuming.' He also warned that it will add expense, complexity, and time because the upgrades will need to be rolled out without taking the current air traffic control system offline. 'You're trying to update a system while it's still working," he said. Can AI help solve air traffic control issues? Eventually, the FAA will roll out new technology for air traffic control, and while Jacobson said air traffic controllers won't ever be fully replaced by computers, he did acknowledge that new tech has a role to play in optimizing the nation's airspace. 'If we leave that off the table, we're forcing ourselves to use more manpower," he said. Jacobson said that, since the FAA and airlines prioritize safety above all else, it doesn't make sense to remove humans from the air traffic control equation entirely. Pilots' unions have also long advocated the safety importance of having two highly trained aviators in the cockpit of every commercial flight, despite growing calls from some outside groups to explore flight control automation. However, using artificial intelligence and other technology to ease the controllers' burden could actually make the system safer. 'There are a lot of very perfunctory tasks that, working with ATC, an AI system could direct airplanes to," Jacobson said, like issuing initial clearance for pilots to push back from their gates, or guiding them to the start of the taxiway. "You don't compromise safety, that is the most important objective, but you're giving them a little more breathing room or legroom to get their job done." Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@
New York Times
12-05-2025
- New York Times
Should You Fly Through Newark Airport? Here's What You Need to Know.
Newark Liberty International Airport, one of the nation's busiest airports, has been struggling with major delays and cancellations amid technological disruptions, staffing shortages and a runway closure. Communication problems, including a brief radar outage at the air traffic control facility on Friday and an outage last month, have left travelers wondering how safe it is to fly into Newark. Concerns have also mounted after two high-profile commercial plane crashes involving U.S. airlines earlier this year. A recent poll commissioned by The Points Guy and conducted by the Harris Poll showed that 65 percent of Americans said they are more nervous about flying because of recent incidents. Here's what to know about flying in or out of Newark. What's behind the delays? In short: a confluence of factors, including a runway closure, changes to the airport's air-traffic-control operations, staffing shortages and equipment failures. Sheldon H. Jacobson, a travel security and safety expert, called the disruptions 'a perfect storm.' The national airspace system has long relied on aging infrastructure, he explained, and while airport facilities have been updated frequently, the air traffic control systems have not kept pace. As travel demand surges, with more than 2 million people screened by the Transportation Security Administration per day in the United States, he said, this outdated infrastructure is struggling to keep up. The recent software and hardware glitches at Newark have rattled the airport's traffic controllers. Current and former air traffic controllers who have handled traffic for Newark said they would avoid flying in and out of the airport, both for safety and convenience. One current controller advised travelers to choose a different airport, noting that flights in and out of Newark are likely to face delays. A former controller said safety risk factors have increased. What do the authorities say about safety at Newark? Officials say it is safe, in contrast to the concerns stated by some controllers. In a news conference on Monday, the transportation secretary, Sean Duffy referenced an antiquated backup telecommunications line, among other factors. 'We are trying to slow speeds down to 1990 speeds for 1980 equipment,' he said. Mr. Duffy said that he planned to reduce the number of flights at Newark as a safety measure. 'We're going to make sure that if you fly, you're going to fly safely, and if we reduce the number of flights at Newark, we're not doing it to annoy people, we're not doing it to delay people's travel,' he said. 'What we're doing is guaranteeing safety, and when you have problems, you actually slow things down.' At the news conference, Chris Rocheleau, the acting administrator of the F.A.A., also emphasized that flying at the airport is safe. Starting on Monday, he said, the agency had convened a task force to address the problems, including representatives from the F.A.A. and technology and telecommunications contractors. Transportation Department officials are expected to meet with airline executives on Wednesday to discuss flight reductions. United, which operates about two-thirds of flights at Newark, has already cut back on some flying there. In a Fox News opinion article on Friday, United Chief Executive Scott Kirby attributed the disruptions to outdated and underfunded systems and urged customers not to 'conflate these challenges and constraints with safety.' 'In short, neither the F.A.A. nor United will ever compromise on safety,' he wrote. 'But when the F.A.A. has technology outages or staffing shortages, it leads to delays and cancellations for our customers and that's the issue we're determined to solve.' United also sent an email to customers attesting to its safety that included a link to a video featuring Miles Morgan, the head of the airline's flight training, answering questions from travelers about Newark. 'It is absolutely safe to fly,' he says in the video. Are other airports facing similar problems? The snarled traffic at Newark has reverberated across the nation's air travel system. The F.A.A.'s website showed delays at a number of U.S. airports on Monday, and a travel advisory issued by the agency reported an average expected delay of 101 minutes for passengers flying to Newark, citing the reason for delays as 'staffing.' The agency also displays expected average delays at airports across the nation on its website. Mr. Jacobson said that travelers should be more worried about delays than about safety. He added that Newark shouldn't be the only airport raising concerns. 'I suspect every single airport's air traffic control tower and system are checking everything right now because everyone is on high alert,' he said. Should you consider other options? For travelers looking for alternatives, options remain limited. For trips of a thousand miles or more, flying continues to be the safest and most practical choice. Driving poses far greater risks, with over a hundred fatalities on U.S. roads each day. Travelers with flexible itineraries might consider rebooking their upcoming flights to depart or arrive in another nearby airport. United is offering travelers waivers to rebook Newark flights to Philadelphia or LaGuardia Airport through May 23. Cheyenne Morton is one of those travelers who is nervous about flying. Ms. Morton, a second-grade teacher from the area near Houston, was flying home from Newark Airport after helping lead a group of 30 eighth-grade students on a class trip to New York City and Washington, D.C. She echoed recent concerns about service at the New Jersey airport. 'They always tell you not to fly out of Newark. There's construction issues, delays, traffic issues coming from New York, canceled flights and last-minute gate changes,' Ms. Morton, who is in her late 30s, said. 'It all sounds like a lot of mismanagement.' For those who find themselves at Newark and are delayed because of the recent problems, IHG Hotels & Resorts offers a temporary balm: Travelers who submit proof of flight disruptions through a booking page can receive a free drink or appetizer and loyalty points, even for people who aren't loyalty program members.
