Table 1-67: FAA-Cited Causes of Departure and En Route Delays (After pushing back from the gate)
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operations delayed (thousands) | 356 | 338 | 394 | 393 | 298 | 281 | 276 | 248 | 237 | 272 | 245 | 306 | 374 | 450 | 348 | 286 | 317 | 455 | 438 | 492 | 541 | 555 | 473 | 335 | 330 | 277 | 333 | 341 |
| Cause (percent) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weather | 67 | 70 | 57 | 56 | 65 | 65 | 72 | 75 | 72 | 74 | 68 | 74 | 69 | 69 | 72 | 72 | 72 | 70 | 69 | 66 | 65 | 66 | 65 | 70 | 76 | 70 | 70 | 62 |
| Airport terminal volume | 11 | 9 | 29 | 33 | 26 | 25 | 21 | 18 | 17 | 17 | 20 | 13 | 8 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 11 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 19 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 21 |
| Air Route Traffic Control Center volume | 13 | 12 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U | U |
| Closed runways / taxiways | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| National Airspace System equipment | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Other | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
KEY: FAA = Federal Aviation Administration; U = data are unavailable.
NOTES
As of 2008, the FAA reports delays for aircraft that accumulate a delay of 15 minutes or more throughout the duration of the flight. Each holding segment is recorded as one delay. The Operations Network (OPSNET) Database delay data dating back to the year 2000 have been converted to be consistent with the new definitions.
Beginning in 2008 the FAA started to combine Air Route Traffic Control Center volume and Airport Terminal volume and retroactively applied this change through the year 2000.
SOURCES
1987-97: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Aviation Capacity Enhancement Plan (Washington, DC: Annual Issues).
1998-99: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Operations Network (OPSNET) Database, available at http://www.faa.gov/apa/Delays/atDelays.htm as of Aug. 8, 2002.
2000-14: Ibid., Operations Network (OPSNET) Database, available at http://www.apo.data.faa.gov/ as of June. 3, 2015.