Delta’s Anderson: Fuel, Environment Top Concerns

Delta Airlines CEO Richard Anderson pointed to record oil prices, an outdated air traffic control system and pressure to mitigate aviation’s environmental impact as constraining the industry’s growth and exacerbating its congestion problems. "We don't have an energy policy in this country, and we need one," Anderson said during his keynote address to the FAA’s forecast conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Anderson pointed to the creation of a national highway system, saying something similar should happen for the air traffic control system. Updating the air traffic control system, FAA has said, is the cornerstone of its Next Generation Air Transportation System. "When your average taxi-out time on a good day is 15 to 20 minutes, that's a very significant" amount of wasted fuel, Anderson said. “We as an industry need to take tarmac delays very seriously” both in terms of the environmental impact and the consumer satisfaction, he said.