Article Written By: Mayra G. Abbott
Weather conditions are an important component of airline performance. Current weather conditions affect aviation schedules because adverse conditions cause delays that ripple throughout the system nationwide.Airlines use sophisticated technology to track current weather systems across the country. They do this because an accurate aviation weather forecast depends upon it and they need to know what kind of weather they can expect across all routes. If there is severe weather in one part of the country, flights in that area will obviously be delayed. But that delay can cause less obvious delays on the other side of the country as crew and equipment is not in place for subsequent flights. By accurately tracking current weather conditions country-wide airlines can get alternate crews and equipment in place.Severe weather also stresses operations at an airport. When current weather conditions worsen and flights are delayed, additional people are forced to wait at the terminal. These people require services like food, beverages, and bathrooms if they are going to be comfortable and remain customers. They will also need a place to sit as well as updates on the status of their flights. Their luggage will need to be tracked and potentially re-routed if it is to reach their destination with them. All of these accommodations require airport and airline resources to be reallocated while additional resources are called in to assist.Current weather conditions can also complicate the flight itself. It doesn't take a hurricane tracker informing you of a hurricane on the way to make for an unpleasant flight. Extreme turbulence can cause a substantial amount of inconvenience and damage on its own. Knowing turbulence is ahead allows the pilot to activate the seatbelt light. It also gives flight attendants time to complete meal or beverage service, elect to provide those amenities without the use of the cart in the aisle, or forgo meals and beverages entirely, depending upon the severity of the upcoming weather system. Knowledge of current weather systems also gives an airline the option to re-route a flight and avoid the bad weather entirely.
This Article Has Been Published on Sun, 29 Aug 2010 and Read 239 Times