Data: The answer to air travel’s biggest problems

The problem: Commercial aviation works like a precision watch, with many parts that rely on one another for the whole system to function. When all the gears turn as planned – boarding, pre-flight inspection, takeoff, landing, taxiing to the gate, things go well.

Weather has a way of making sure they don’t. It accounts for about 75 percent of delays that disrupt the system and last longer than 15 minutes, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. And it’s usually not catastrophic storms that are to blame – mostly, it’s everyday downpours, gales and flurries.

Part of the reason: Many air traffic control systems track only what’s happening at the moment. That means controllers might keep a plane grounded until a storm clears the flight path completely, when in reality it's perfectly safe to take off much sooner.

The solution: Much like wayfinding apps help drivers find the fastest way from one place to another, data analytics tools can give pilots, airlines and dispatchers many more options on how to reach their destination.

Collins Aerospace engineers have developed such a tool: Flight Profile Optimization, a feature of the business’ FlightHub application. It aggregates information about weather, air traffic and airport congestion, calculates the effect of those variables on flight operation, then suggests alternatives to the current flight plan.

The problem: Planes sometimes consume more fuel than they need to reach their destination. There are lots of factors that can drive up a flight’s fuel burn – altitude, distance, speed, wind resistance, and, of course, time spent in holding patterns.

The solution: Flight Profile Optimization has benefits beyond untangling air traffic. It can also help identify more fuel-efficient routes, taking into account factors such as distance and wind speed.

Collins is testing the technology in partnership with a major North American airline, and they’re already seeing more than one percent in fuel and emissions savings. Over a full year, Schopfer said, that would result in cost savings of about $15 million and a 100,000-ton reduction in CO2 emissions.

“Those are huge numbers in one year,” she said, “and every year, this would pay back in direct fuel savings for the airline and reduced impact on the environment for all of us.”

The problem: Just like with weather delays, mechanical delays – those caused by the need to fix or replace a part – can foul up flight plans. Planes wait to take off, passengers miss connecting flights and so on. But unlike weather delays, mechanical delays are almost entirely preventable.

The solution: Predictive maintenance. Aircraft parts produce data, and that data provides valuable insight. At Pratt & Whitney, for example, experts have gathered data from thousands of aircraft engines over several decades. Now, through their Advanced Diagnostics and Engine Monitoring system, they can use that data to predict days in advance when a part might need repair or replacement.

With that knowledge in hand, airlines can schedule maintenance when and where it’s most convenient – during slower times or days, for example, and in a city with adequate facilities. That's the job of Ascentia, which converts data from aircraft parts into intelligence that predicts maintenance needs and even  identifies ways to reduce unnecessary wear and tear. 

“It’s a dashboard that says, ‘Whoa, how you landed there was not good for brake life,’” Schopfer said.