Logan joins the age of the Internet
By Peter J. Howe, Boston Globe, 12/18/2006
It's been 47 years since Logan International Airport joined the jet age.
Now a key part of the airport's operations is finally joining the Internet age, too.
In December, officials at the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs Logan, started a new system that gives airlines, air-traffic controllers, and airport officials a password-protected website to review runway closings, weather conditions, and a trove of other Logan data. It's updated every 30 seconds.
As recently as this fall, much of that information was being relayed through the equivalent of teletype machines and conference calls -- which isn't unusual. Boston's is one of only a handful of big US airports to install the new "airfield reporting system." The two New York City airports and Dulles International Airport, outside Washington, D.C., are among the few others that are putting the information on websites.
If it lives up to expectations, Logan's new automated airfield reporting system could help reduce flight delays for passengers, particularly during snowstorms that shut down runways and force airlines to cancel and reschedule flights.
With better, timelier data about runway and weather conditions, airlines may have a better chance to use available takeoff slots during snowstorms and to time aircraft de-icing operations to make sure planes are ready to go at available takeoff times. (Because ice buildup on wings can make planes crash, airlines typically have a window of only several minutes after wings are sprayed with de-icing fluid before the plane has to be pulled out of the takeoff queue and treated again.)
Alternatively, airlines can use the system to learn when they should hold Boston-bound flights in other cities to reduce arrival delays and avoid having planes circling over Massachusetts Bay.
"This new technology moves Boston Logan toward a more efficient airport during all weather conditions," said Massport's acting aviation director, Edward C. Freni. "Sharing instant information with our key partners ultimately benefits the traveling public."
The website builds off of a bigger software system, called PASSUR, developed for Logan by Megadata Corp. of Greenwich, Conn. It collects everything from weather radar readings to jetliners' tail numbers by taking readings from the onboard transponders that constantly broadcast the plane's identity and status.
Earlier this year, Logan began using the Megadata PASSUR system to automate the process of collecting landing fees, typically $250 to $700, depending on the plane's weight. As planes arrive, tail numbers are automatically recorded and correlated to a database that shows how much they weigh.
At the end of the month, airlines are automatically billed for all their planes that landed. That's a far more efficient, reliable system than the old, process, which required airlines to collect the data and send it with a check to Massport, which periodically audited the reports.
The website puts in one place troves of information beyond which of Logan's six runways are open or closed: reports of large flocks of birds, which can cause planes to crash if they get sucked into jet engines, locations of construction crews, and even the presence of tall building cranes along runway approach paths.
"The whole theory is that you should not have to make five phone calls and go to three websites to get what you need to know," said Ron Dunsky , a Megadata vice president. "Up until now, it's been all about radios and faxes and conference calls and teletypes. That's the Stone Age, compared to being able to see it all on one portal."
In an interview in his 16th-floor office at Logan's control tower last week, Joseph Reiter, Massport operations system manager, said one huge advantage is "everybody gets exactly the same message at exactly the same time, and they're getting it at electronic speed."
Using Net-based technology, Reiter predicted, will be a far more efficient way of running Logan during what are called "snow desk operations," when airport, Federal Aviation Administration, and airline officials "literally sat around a desk" to negotiate whose planes can land.
Logan normally handles up to 120 planes taking off and landing every hour. That can drop to 30 or fewer during storms.
Jim Celeste, general manager for JetBlue Airways Corp. at Logan, agreed the new system is "a great tool to get updated field conditions." Echoing comments from American Airlines and Delta Air Lines officials, Celeste said: "Not only does this benefit our operations, but our customers as well. It will enable us to provide the most accurate information in real time."