Airline and airport executives, along with FAA and Department of Transportation officials, gathered in Washington on Wednesday to discuss steps to improve information sharing during severe weather to improve flight diversion decision-making.

Attendees at the forum discussed five proposed FAA recommendations to help aviation stakeholders better understand flight diversion decisions. Separate discussion groups reviewed airport and airline operations, FAA said.

“It’s in the best interest of the flying public that we improve the way we share information so that during severe weather events, all of the many moving parts of our aviation system have the most updated and best information,” said Randy Babbitt, FAA administrator.

The original recommendations included developing an airport information Website, increasing participation of smaller airports in strategic planning teleconferences, creating special data tags for diverted flights on air traffic controller screens, better coordinating FAA equipment outrages, and improving airport contingency plans.

A late October Northeast snowstorm that led dozens of domestic and international flights headed for New York to divert to other airports prompted the meeting, the FAA said. FAA plans to refine the recommendations and work with airline and airport operators to put them into effect as quickly as possible.