[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 44 (Friday, March 6, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12253-12254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05207]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Submission Deadline for Schedule Information for Los 
Angeles International Airport for the Summer 2015 Scheduling Season

AGENCY: Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration 
(FAA).

ACTION: Notice of submission deadline.

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SUMMARY: Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) has planned runway 
resurfacing and Runway Safety Area (RSA) construction at Los Angeles 
International Airport (LAX) beginning in March of 2015 until mid-2018. 
During this timeframe, a runway will be either shortened or closed, 
which could increase delays throughout much of the period of 
construction. In response to the varying capacity changes and 
forecasted scheduled demand over the duration of the project, the FAA 
announces the designation of LAX as a Level 2 airport under 
International Air Transport Association (IATA) Worldwide Slot 
Guidelines effective June 28, 2015. The focus hours are daily from 0600 
through 2259 local time (1300--0559 UTC). The deadline for carriers to 
submit schedule information for the later part of the Summer 2015 
scheduling season (June 28 through October 24, 2015) is March 20, 2015. 
The submission deadline for the Winter 2015 scheduling season will be 
May 21, 2015, which coincides with the IATA submission deadline. The 
FAA intends for the Level 2 designation to be temporary and does not 
anticipate this designation to extend beyond the completion date of 
construction.

DATES: Schedules must be submitted no later than March 20, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Schedules may be submitted by mail to the Slot 
Administration Office, AGC-200, Office of the Chief Counsel, 800 
Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591; facsimile: 202-267-7277; 
or by email to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Pfingstler, System Operations 
Services, Air Traffic Organization, Federal Aviation Administration, 
600 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20591; telephone number: 
202-267-6462; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: IATA guidelines state that a Level 2 airport 
is one where there is the potential for congestion during some periods 
of the day, week or season, which can be resolved by schedule 
adjustments mutually agreed between airlines and the facilitator. The 
FAA has determined that LAX should be designated as Level 2 based on 
projected capacity reductions and operational delays that are 
anticipated during the upcoming periods of runway construction. This 
construction is expected to occur in phases from March 2015 through 
mid-2018. LAWA plans runway closures or shortened runway lengths for 
resurfacing, construction of runway safety areas, and other airfield 
projects for all four runways. LAWA's current proposal indicates that 
only one runway would be closed or shortened at a time. LAWA projects 
that Runway 7R/25L will be closed for 33 days in March/April 2015. 
Runway 6L/24R would close from late June to October 2015. Runway 6R/24L 
would be shortened beginning December 2015 for ten months. Runway 7L/
25R would be shortened for four months beginning October 2016 followed 
by a four month closure until spring 2017. Runway 7R/25L would close in 
January 2018 for five months. Specific projects and dates will be 
determined and announced by LAWA.
    LAWA, the FAA, and stakeholders meet regularly to review 
construction plans, identify ways to improve airport and airspace 
efficiency, and mitigate construction impacts whenever possible. These 
and other collaborative efforts will continue to improve and manage 
operations as efficiently as possible; however, runway capacity and 
surface operations will be impacted during construction. The specific 
operational and delay impacts have not been definitively determined for 
each construction phase and will depend on the final project details, 
available runways, taxiways, and other operational factors. Surface 
operations will become more complex during construction and affect taxi 
times, terminal/gate area operations, and aircraft staging. FAA Design 
Group VI Aircraft operations present additional challenges. LAX 
currently has more scheduled Group VI Aircraft operations than any 
other U.S. airport with more operations planned in summer 2015. 
Operational restrictions for Group VI Aircraft include additional 
aircraft separation, runway selection, and taxi constraints.
    The FAA recognizes that many summer schedules have been completed 
or are approaching the final planning stages. The initial schedules 
published for August 2015 are slightly above the August 2014 schedules. 
While some carriers have reduced operations compared to last summer, 
other carriers have increased flights. The FAA modeled delays for the 
March to early April closure of Runway 7R/25L and the late June to 
October closure of Runway 6L/24R. Modeling suggests moderate delays for 
the March/April closure and more extensive delays during the peak July 
and August months. These projections are based on published schedules 
and historic unscheduled traffic and projected capacity during the 2015 
closures. Capacity rates are expected to be reduced by approximately 
25%, decreasing hourly arrivals and departures from about 138 to 104 in 
visual meteorological conditions. The FAA is continuing to look at 
potential ways to increase runway throughput during construction and 
improve operations given the constraints. The FAA, LAWA, operators, and 
other affected parties expect to improve their operational planning for 
future construction phases based on the experiences during the March/
April closure.
    The FAA considered whether it would be optimal to begin the Level 2 
review during the Winter 2015 scheduling season. Winter schedules are 
in earlier stages of development and

[[Page 12254]]

present more opportunities for carriers to plan flights during less 
congested times. However, an earlier designation in summer rather than 
waiting until the next construction phase provides an opportunity for 
the FAA to facilitate modest positive schedule moves during peak demand 
season at LAX, discourage moves into peak periods that might increase 
congestion, and alert carriers thorough the IATA WSG process that there 
is a potential for congestion.
    Schedule review under Level 2 alone will not resolve the congestion 
and delays resulting from demand that may exceed capacity. Rather, we 
expect that delays may be reduced as the FAA and carriers consider the 
potential impacts of new or retimed flights in peak periods. The 
success of Level 2 relies on voluntary cooperation by carriers to 
maintain a reasonable balance between capacity and demand. Carriers 
should recognize the operational constraints during construction and 
the potential for lengthy delays, carrier network impacts, flight 
cancellations, and consumer disruption if planned schedules 
significantly exceed capacity. The FAA does not expect to confirm, 
under the Level 2 process, new peak hour flights beyond those published 
as of the date of this notice.
    Accordingly, effective June 28, 2015, the FAA designates LAX as a 
Level 2 airport daily between the hours of 0600 and 2259 local time 
(1300 and 0559 UTC) but carriers may submit schedule information for 
the full day, if preferred. Carriers should submit to the FAA schedule 
information for all planned operations no later than March 20, 2015. 
The FAA will reply to carrier schedule submissions within two weeks of 
the deadline. For future scheduling seasons, the FAA intends to follow 
the IATA WSG regular slot activity calendar. Runway capacity estimates 
for the Winter 2015 scheduling season are expected in the spring and 
will be reviewed during regular meetings with LAWA and stakeholders.
    Carriers should submit schedule information in sufficient detail 
including, at a minimum, the carrier, flight number, scheduled time of 
arrival or departure, half-hour period, frequency, and effective dates. 
IATA standard schedule information format and data elements (Standard 
Schedules Information Manual, Chapter 6) may be submitted and would 
provide additional information that could be beneficial in assessing 
operational impacts.
    LAX is designated by LAWA as Level 2 for flights at the Tom Bradley 
International Terminal (TBIT). This notice does not replace that 
process, which is done separately by LAWA based on terminal 
constraints. Schedule submissions and discussions with LAWA will 
continue in addition to FAA's review for runway impacts as described in 
this notice. Carriers operating at TBIT may copy both LAWA and the FAA 
on schedule messages.
    Finally, the FAA expects that the Level 2 designation will allow 
all interested parties an opportunity to address any imbalance between 
demand and capacity, and work cooperatively to reduce delays. The FAA 
supports the Level 2 process as a preferred and viable alternative to 
full slot coordination under Level 3 or other administrative actions to 
address congestion during the runway and RSA construction. Since LAX 
does not have a history of significant delays and capacity is generally 
sufficient to meet demand, the FAA anticipates continuing its Level 2 
designation only for the planned construction period that is expected 
to end in 2018. However, the FAA will review the Level 2 designation, 
at a minimum, in advance of each scheduling season and consider further 
action as may be necessary if operational data indicates that 
congestion cannot be mitigated effectively under the Level 2 
designation.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 3, 2015.
Daniel E. Smiley,
Acting Vice President, System Operations Services.
[FR Doc. 2015-05207 Filed 3-5-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-13-P