Honeywell Takes Aim at Airline Delays

Honeywell Aerospace believes there's gold in the millions of hours of airport delays that passengers experience every year.

With $10.5 billion in revenues and a wide range of products, services and expertise resulting from its recent merger with AlliedSignal, the Phoenix-based company plans to attack the cause of airline delays from pre-flight through the post-flight phases of your trip.

A close look at airline delays reveals less than 15% are actually uncontrollable, due to weather or air traffic, according to Robert D. Johnson, Honeywell executive vice president and chief of the company's aerospace businesses. Indeed, Honeywell research has shown that half of all delays are just follow-on disruptions caused by earlier problems.

Solving these delays offers an estimated $3 billion sales potential, Johnson said. Possibilities include providing better, real-time weather to pilots before and during flight, developing sophisticated airport traffic and maintenance management systems, or finding ways to update passenger itineraries in-flight.

By Paul Proctor