FAA and airline CEOs coordinate rollout of new delay-reduction system

FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford met with the CEOs of major U.S. airlines, including American, United, Delta and Southwest, to coordinate the rollout of a new traffic-management system intended to reduce flight delays and cancellations. The SMART platform will use predictive analytics combining weather, airline schedules, airport capacity and airspace restrictions to identify congestion and support more targeted rerouting, rescheduling and spacing of flights. The system is expected to begin deployment this month, initially focusing on disruptions caused by severe weather and potentially expanding to broader scheduling and trajectory management. The meeting comes after repeated weather-related and congestion-driven disruptions and amid pressure from travelers and lawmakers to improve reliability during peak travel periods. Airlines for America endorsed the initiative, saying closer coordination and better decision-making tools could reduce disruptions for passengers.