Effect of T-TMA on Capacity and Delay at Los Angeles International Airport

Abstract

Free Flight Phase 1 (FFP1) is an FAA program for improving the performance of the National Airspace System (NAS) through the deployment of advanced technologies for air traffic management. In addition to the deployment activities, FFP1 includes a significant evaluation component, which faces a significant hurdle. A plethora of factors—weather, demand, enhancements to the NAS infrastructure not related to FFP1, facility outages, and so on—may also cause changes in NAS performance. It is necessary to normalize for these factors in order to determine the effect of FFP1. Normalization procedures to isolate the impact of the implementation of an FFP1 technology—the Terminal Area Traffic Management Advisor (T-TMA)—are documented at the Southern California TRACON, where it is used for controlling traffic into Los Angeles International Airport. Two examples of normalization are presented. One examines the effect of T-TMA on airport arrival capacity, and the other looks at arrival delay. The results, although preliminary given the short time since implementation, are consistent: it appears that capacities have increased and delays decreased as a result of the deployment of the tool. Moreover, the magnitudes of the delay reductions and capacity increases are consistent.