Global Airport Flight Delay Index Launches on Flightstats.com

PORTLAND, Ore. – December 19, 2007 – FlightStats, a division of Conducive Technology, Inc. today announced the availability of its new global airport flight delay index reporting system -  available now on its web site at www.flightstats.com.  The delay index gives travelers a clear indication of the likelihood of disruptions in their travel plans at a glance.  The system monitors delays and cancellations at airports worldwide and assigns a “delay index” ranging from 0 (little or no disruption) to 5 (severe disruptions) for each major airport.  Users can then easily click through for details on specific flight status and create email and text message alerts to stay informed. 

An airport's flight delay index reflects its current on-time departure performance adjusted for delay severity and cancellations.  Delay index scores appear as an overlay on country, regional, continental and global maps so travelers can see current conditions anywhere they expect to travel.  Pop up windows appear when specific airports are selected that provide detailed scoring, an indication of the index' trend (better or worse), and links to get current status information on individual flight arrivals and departures. 

Until now, the only data available to travelers concerning system-wide disruptions at airports came from the US Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) airport delays map.  Outside of the US, there hasn't been any easy way to gather a complete picture of airport conditions within a region or across continents.  In today's skies with flight delays a virtual certainty, travelers need to know whether or not they should expect disruptions and the degree to which delays and cancellations of their flights are likely. 

“Travelers across the globe now have a very effective new tool to help them anticipate and cope with travel disruptions,” said Jeff Kennedy, CEO of Conducive Technology, developer of FlightStats.  “When travelers are fully and accurately informed of both airport and flight status, their stress levels tend to decrease,” he added. 

The FAA airport delay map shows the current status of air traffic control delays at US airports.  However, it provides no information for travelers beyond North America.  FAA data includes no indication of  cancellations or delays for reasons other than air traffic control directives.  On December 10, 2007, for example, the FAA map showed “FAA on time” for the Kansas City Airport (MCI).  FlightStats assigned MCI a delay index of 5 (as bad as it gets).  While there were no air traffic control delays at MCI that day, nearly 15% of the flights there were cancelled and many were severely delayed due to harsh winter weather throughout the Midwest.

To calculate the delay index, FlightStats assesses the airport’s current departure performance and the severity of delays and cancellations.   The calculation uses data collected from the  previous hour and from flight schedule delays for the upcoming 2 hour period.  Conditions are translated into an index score between 0  and 5  where higher values indicate more severe departure disruptions.  The score is calculated and republished every 30 minutes. 

“The FAA's approach is geared toward the needs of the airlines  and air traffic control, not the traveling public.  Our new index uncovers problems often masked in the FAA data and gives travelers outside of the US a real-time view into their airport conditions for the first time,” said David White, VP of business development at FlightStats.

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