The FAA is set to announce new technology they're calling NextGen today in Detroit. The proposed improvements would make the airspace in and around Metro Airport more efficient and it’s expected to significantly reduce delays across the board.
Already the Federal Aviation Administration reports the program has helped airlines and passengers with an estimated $1.6 billion in benefits.
In short, the plan is to take tracking planes and navigating them through the national airspace from ground-based radar to satellite based. The FAA says it’s already increased air travel efficiency in other metropolitan areas where the technology has been deployed.
In a release from the FAA, it says this new satellite based system possesses the technological horsepower to handle the forecasted increase in airspace traffic for years to come.
Airlines they say will benefit by way of savings in fuel, reduced carbon emissions and they go on to say passengers will benefit by more on-time arrivals.
And while the news is positive on so many levels, one question remains, when will passengers reap the benefits of this new technology and how will it affect how much we spend on travel?
That answer is yet to be seen and likely won’t be measured until the technology is deployed across the country.
For more information on the NextGen click here.
