REDUCING SEVERE WEATHER DELAYS IN CONGESTED AIRSPACE WITH WEATHER DECISION SUPPORT FOR TACTICAL AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT

With a growth in delays caused by thunderstorms, the FAA initially sought ways to use "strategic" air traffic management between 2 and 6 hours in advance of weather events, but predictions weren't precise enough to effectively inform air traffic control decisions. Tactical air traffic management methods are now being explored as a way to use the shorter-term forecasts that are more accurate and useful. This paper describes operational results of weather products in the highly congested Great Lakes and Northeast Corridors using the Corridor Integrated Weather System. Displays including data from very high rates of updates and large-scale storm tracking technologies were made available at major terminals, en route centers in the corridor and the FAA command center. Substantial reductions were achieved, leading to possible changes in the conceptual framework for other aspects of traffic flow management. Additional findings included the need for probabilistic forecasts to accommodate the disorganized nature of convective disturbances, better understanding of sector capacity as it relates to route capacity and better understanding and measurement of storms' vertical dimensions, "tops."