Honeywell Solutions Improve On-Time Performance

Flight delays are all too common in the world of air travel. According to the Official Aviation Guide (OAG), most airlines and airports have on-time performance ratings in the 75-85 percent range, meaning that tens-of-thousands of flights are delayed by 15 minutes or more every day.

No wonder you see so many grouchy people at the airport. No wonder airports have become great places to kill time, with restaurants, stores and even gyms and movie theaters.

Passengers aren’t the only ones concerned about on-time performance. Airlines and airports are obsessed with it because they know how much passengers value staying on schedule and they know delays have a devastating impact on the bottom line.

In fact, the National Center of Excellence for Aviation Operations Research (NEXTOR) estimates that delays cost U.S. airlines $8.3 billion in 2017. That’s billion, with a “B.”

Every minute counts when it comes to on-time performance and airlines, airports and government agencies are pursuing a variety of strategies to address the root causes of flight delays. Those include things like weather, unplanned maintenance, air traffic and turn-around time at the gate.

Today, more than ever before, they’re turning to Honeywell for solutions.

For example, we’re a leading provider of advanced radar systems that lets flight crews avoid severe weather and turbulence. The result is improved safety, passenger comfort and on-time performance. The RDR-4000 IntuVue 3D weather radar is our latest and greatest and the first choice of airlines to equip thousands of aircraft worldwide.

Honeywell’s Weather Information Service application helps the flight crew make strategic decisions during flight, by providing up-to-date weather information for the intended route and other areas of interest. The service uses an electronic flight bag datalink to provide regular weather updates along with flight plan updates.

Unanticipated maintenance problems can throw a wrench into an airline’s schedule. Groundbreaking Honeywell Forge software solutions can make a difference. We continuously collect data from onboard systems like auxiliary power units, environmental control systems, and wheels and brakes. We use advanced data analytics to predict when a part will fail days in advance so maintenance crews can deal with potential issues before they can cause flight delays. Some of our connected maintenance customers have seen a 30 percent reduction in unscheduled maintenance.

Air traffic is a leading cause of delays, especially at big-city airports. Honeywell is playing a key role in Air Traffic Management Modernization efforts in the U.S., Europe, China and elsewhere. Our onboard and ground-based technologies enable aircraft to take off, cruise and land more efficiently, enhancing flight safety and schedule performance.

Meanwhile, at the gate, the Honeywell Forge Ground Handling software helps more aircraft take off on time. It provides ground handlers with a powerful mobile application to manage every aspect of the turnaround process and provides airline and airport operations teams with the status of each aircraft and its likelihood of pushing back on time.

These are just a few examples of how Honeywell solutions are helping airlines and airports improve on-time performance, which will become even more important.