PASSUR Aerospace Helps JFK Airport, Airlines Improve Efficiency
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PSSR) announced today that the company’s pioneering, patent-pending system-solution reduced ground congestion and delays during runway construction at one of the nation's busiest airports, John F. Kennedy International, and is recognized as a model "NextGen" capability. The program is a successful collaboration between the Port Authority of NY & NJ, the FAA, and the airlines, coordinated by PASSUR.
PASSUR's collaborative software solutions and professional services program effectively coordinate the many elements of airport operations, significantly reducing the length and duration of departure queues on the tarmac, and reducing airline fuel costs and carbon emissions.
The Port Authority and a number of airlines cited the PASSUR system as a key element in minimizing disruption of operations while the airport's Bay Runway -- the longest and most heavily used of JFK's four runways -- was closed for reconstruction from March through June.
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal (7/29/10) listed fuel savings and improvements in the passenger experience as two of the most critical benefits of the program, coordinated by PASSUR.
"Our fuel burn is way down," said JetBlue Chief Executive David Barger, quoted in the Wall Street Journal.
"It's been a home run," said Mike Sammartino, the FAA's director of system operations, quoted in the same Wall Street Journal article. He went on to say, "It [the metering program] will stay in place. Everyone sees the benefit."
Because of its success, the program has been extended to at least the end of 2010.
"Under the leadership of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the airlines and the FAA have collaborated to make this program a remarkable success, addressing problems that were thought to be almost insurmountable," said Jim Barry, President and CEO of PASSUR Aerospace. "We are proud to be playing an important role in enhancing operations coordination which has generated the traffic management efficiencies envisioned as part of the FAA NextGen program. We believe this program will enhance the efficiency of airports throughout the country -- even during normal operations."
Key operating and financial metrics improved during the runway closure:
- Departure taxi times declined year over year by an average of
two minutes (March 2010 vs. March 2009), even with the loss of runway
13L/31R to construction, resulting in:
- A reduction in fuel consumption of 124,600 gallons per month (using an average fleet type, for March 2010)*
- A reduction of 2.7 million pounds (1250 Metric tons) of CO2 emissions per month (using an average fleet type, for March 2010)*
- For March and April 2010, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported only one instance of a departure delayed for 3+ hours on the tarmac at JFK, vs. 21 departures delayed for 3+ hours on the tarmac for the same period last year.
*Source: PANYNJ
Details on the JFK Departure Metering Program
The PASSUR professional services team has created and manages an operations center which coordinates departure activity between the Port Authority, FAA, Air Carriers, and Terminal Operators. Key elements include:
- The use of an enhanced version of the departure sequencing module of the PASSUR OPSnet collaborative airport coordination platform, along with other PASSUR software.
- The implementation of PASSUR's patented solution set: surveillance technology, integrated aviation database, and decision support dashboard solutions.
The result is a "virtual departure queue," in which departures are metered by holding flights either at the gate or in a common metering area, so that once aircraft enter the active taxiway they are ready to depart quickly.
About PASSUR Aerospace, Inc.
PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. is a business intelligence company which provides its customers predictive analytics built on proprietary algorithms and on the concurrent integration and simultaneous mining of multiple databases. We believe we provide the industry standard in business intelligence dashboards and predictive analytics for aviation organizations. PASSUR serves most major airlines (including 6 of the top 7 North American airlines, as well as the top five hub airlines), over 50 airport customers (including 10 of the top 15 North American airports), more than 200 corporate aviation customers, and the US Government. PASSUR's system is driven by its proprietary, patented, business intelligence software which is powered by a unique North American network of 140 passive radars, company-owned, including one located at each of the top 35 U.S. airports. Other PASSURs are located in Europe and Asia. Flight tracks are updated every 4.6 seconds, thereby providing a system which is user-friendly and useful for decision-making.
Visit PASSUR Aerospace's web site at http://www.passur.com for updated products, solutions, and PASSUR news.
The forward-looking statements in this news release relating to management's expectations and beliefs are based on preliminary information and management assumptions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ in material respects, including those related to customer needs, budgetary constraints, competitive pressures, the success of airline trials, the profitable use of the Company's owned PASSURs located at major airports, the Company's maintenance of above average quality of its product and services, as well as potential regulatory changes. Further information regarding factors that could affect the Company's results is contained in the Company's SEC filings, including the October 31, 2009 Form 10K, and the April 30, 2010 10Q.
