(QUEEN CITY NEWS) – If you are a flier that frequents the East Coast, you likely know the airspace is notoriously congested.
Flight delays are all too common.
In an effort to improve your ride, the Federal Aviation Administration has created new, faster routes ahead of the summer travel rush.
They allow you to fly above the crowds, taking shortcuts to your destination.
It’s all part of a plan, seven years in the making, to save you time and the airline’s fuel, all while increasing safety.
Many long-standing, lower-flight paths are being retired to favor higher routes and satellite navigation.
To reduce crowding along the East Coast’s jet airways, the FAA has created 170 new and more direct routes at higher altitudes where there is less traffic and jets burn less fuel.
More direct paths mean no zig-zagging. We get to our vacation destination sooner. While most flight paths have typically utilized land-based navigation aids known as VORs, more GPS navigation routes will be used.
GPS satellites enable pilots to fly direct.
The FAA says the change offers fewer converging points and more simple flows that are more efficient.
The agency estimates rerouting jets from traditional lower routes to what the FAA Calls “Q” routes or “High Altitude Highways in the Sky” will shave 40,000 miles and 6,000 minutes of travel time annually due to being shorter in distance.
