FAA unveils 10-year plan for airline industry

(CNN) -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday unveiled a 10-year plan intended to ease air traffic, flight delays and cancellations by introducing new equipment, building new runways and altering flight patterns in the United States.

The proposal, dubbed Operational Evolution Plan, takes a look at the National Airspace System (NAS) and capacity problems facing airports. It was developed by the FAA with the participation of the airlines, air traffic controllers' unions and others in the aviation industry.

"This is about providing better service to folks in the United States who use our air-transportation system. That's what we are committed to," said Monte Belger, Deputy Administrator of the Air Traffic Control System, at a Wednesday news conference announcing the plan.

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The FAA efforts come at a time when the airline industry has been under increasing criticism and pressure from passengers who are angry over flight quality, cancellations and delays.

One in every four flights was reported delayed or canceled last year, and the number of flights is projected to rise from almost 26 million in 2000, to 36 million in 2012, according to The Associated Press.

Changes are needed, the FAA says.

"This growth in air travel has brought the system to a point where its flexibility and capacity are fully taxed," a report on the plan says.

Among the FAA proposals in the plan:

•  Adding new runways at 15 major airports

•  Allowing more flexible routing on flights

•  Implementing advanced equipment to better predict weather and avoid runway congestion

•  Changing from radar to satellite systems to guide planes

The estimated cost of the changes, according to the FAA report, tallies at nearly $100 billion. Belger said the plan will continue to evolve.

"It will not look the same next year as it looks today," Belger said. "We will continue to look for new ideas, new solutions to the very complex problems that we face."

A spokesman for the Air Transport Association, the trade group for the major airlines, praised the FAA's proposals while saying there's more to be done.

"We do still have work to accomplish in order to meet the demands expected to be imposed upon the air traffic system," spokesman Michael Wascom told The Associated Press.

Another change in the airline industry, implemented Tuesday: CNN's Airport Network (owned by AOL Time Warner, which owns CNN.com) has begun providing a ticker along the bottom of its newscasts, called "FAA airport delay advisory."

Pulled directly from the FAA's Traffic Control System, the ticker delivers immediate information on delays at major airports around the country. It does not offer information on specific flights.

"This is a great example of how the government can work with industry to make the traveler's experience a better one," House Aviation Subcommittee Chairman John Mica, Republican of Florida, said in a press release.