Doug, Fair enough. That said, what gives FAA the right to determine what Is efficient for my aircraft? Finally, I have heard your statement that “this new BNATCS effort is unlike anything else that has been tried to date” for decades. Fool me once, shame of you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Michael xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx R. Michael Baiada cell - (303) 521-6047 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] From: Doug Church via Mifnet <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2026 11:19 To: [email protected] Cc: Doug Church <[email protected]> Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 76190] Re: News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item Michael, This roundy-round seems pointless and I gather the Mifnet audience is possibly tiring of it as well. I asked you questions and your reply is not to provide answers but to instead ask me a lot of questions. I've asked you to please consider trying to keep an open mind and give the impending optimized airspace and flow management BNATCS ideas/programs a chance. I don't see the airlines about to implement GreenLandings anytime soon (hope I'm wrong, for your sake), so BNATCS is really all the hope we have at the moment for a better ATC system. There is literally nothing I can say right now that will convince you that this new BNATCS effort is unlike anything else that has been tried to date. You'll just have to see it for yourself. We'll have to hope that it gets the funding it needs from Congress and can be rolled out and tested and then scaled. Guess we'll just pause the discussion here and reconvene when there's some actual proof to show that BNATCS has helped make the system better and more efficient, with reduced flight delays, .... or not. Any new press clips or developments that I come across on this topic, I'll share here on Mifnet. -Doug On Sun, May 17, 2026 at 12:37 PM [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Doug, My question to you is what makes you think that BNATCS will succeed? Would you have time to talk? I’ll agree that FAA/Eurocontrol is on the right train working on flow, but they are on the wrong track giving ATC the full control over the movement of the aircraft. Which aircraft lands first, second, third, etc. is critical to the success of the airline’s “day of” operation, but this is completely ignored by BNATCS and the airlines. And the only group that can decide what is best for each aircraft based on the real time internal business needs is the airlines/users (schedule, gate availability, crew legality, fuel, maintenance, galleys, lavs, etc.). What I do know is that: 1. FAA has spent the last 50 years and $100s of Billions to reduce delays and failed (GDP, SWAP Route, weather reroutes, SIDS, Miles-in-trail, altitude changes, speed adjustments, STARS, vectors, long finals, airspace redesigns, slots, MLS, AAS, ISSS, RNAV, Fans, GPS, FreeFlight, RNP, ADS-B/C, CPDLC, ERAM, TBFM, Trajectory Based Ops, CDM, NextGen, etc.). 2. We both have decades of experience watching FAA trying and failing to “fix” delays, but you believe that this time will be different. I don’t. 3. Airport capacity is not the problem (easy to prove if you are interested). 4. The airline delay problem is random “day of” point overloads (easy to prove if you are interested). 5. FAA’s 45 day schedule adjustments will do nothing to solve the “day of” random point overloads. 6. You say that “a BNATCS airspace transformation designed to be more efficient and planned out much smarter and fully optimized”, but optimized to what and who decides what is “more efficient”? Is BNATCS defining efficiency as minimum fuel, minimum flight time, fastest flight time, conflict free routing, shortest mileage, etc. Also, who decides what is much smarter? 7. What parameters and inputs are used in this optimization? Are those parameters input dynamically or through static rules? Do the aircraft owners have real time “day of” inputs which are critical to “day of” airline operational success and profits? 8. My biggest concern is FAA’s expanded control over the movement of the aircraft as outlined by Administrator Bedford (“We’ll tell you where we want you to be in three dimensions”). 9. Where in the FARs or 7110.65 does it say that this is FAA’s job - “To be very clear, SMART is not aimed at separating aircraft or doing any of those kind of safety critical functions,” 10. Nowhere in the SMART article does it talk about the airline’s business needs (schedule, connections, gate availability, crew legality, fuel on board, airport capacity, ramp, maintenance, galleys, lavs, etc. 11. “SMART will “predict air traffic flows and adjust departure times to resolve conflicts” - this is just an advanced technology version of FAA’s current 1980s Ground Delay Program (GDP) that doesn’t work and ignores the variance created after gate departure (+/- 20 minutes). 12. Although not mentioned in the article, how is Trajectory Based Ops implemented? How do controllers manage the aircraft enroute speed assigned by TBO? How do speed messages get from FAA to the aircraft? 13. Why does FAA want to spend $10s of billions on controlling flow when it airlines can accomplish it for $10s of millions? 14. And if you believe that BNATCS is not the first step in eliminating the controller, I have some land east of Miami for sale that might be of interest. Finally, GreenLandings® accomplished 20 years ago what SMART is advocating, but did it much less expensively with much less complexity by letting the airline/user manage the enroute speed, but managing aircraft is not what airlines do. Michael xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx R. Michael Baiada cell - (303) 521-6047 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] From: Doug Church <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2026 08:37 To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Cc: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Subject: Re: [Mifnet 🛰 76183] Re: News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item RE: "If implemented, FAA’s Brand New ATC System (BNATCS) plan will increase airline costs and reduce airline quality." How do you know? Why would you say that? It's so easy to say something dramatic like that to denigrate any plan that's not your own, but you have provided no evidence. How in the world does a BNATCS airspace transformation designed to be more efficient and planned out much smarter and fully optimized result in increased airline cost and reduced quality over the present system, which is not optimized and stumbling along without a Common Automation Platform? That makes zero sense, in my opinion. RE: "Airlines and FAA need to turn this around to where airlines do the telling and FAA/ATC does the listening. Why does everyone want the government telling the airlines what to do?" How about the airlines and the government work together? That OK with you? Because that's happening. I have first-hand knowledge. Have you forgotten that Administrator Bedford was an airline executive immediately prior to taking on his current job? He wants the system to work better and more efficiently. RE: "BNATCS plan will not reduce airline delays since it fails to focus on <https://greenlandings.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/What-Should-Airlines-Want-MTS-WINTER-2026.pdf> the root cause of delays (random Point Overloads)." How do you know? What exactly do you think you know about the plan, and is there any hope of you keeping an open mind to seeing how this all plays out first before registering your final, hard line opinion that BNATCS is a total and complete failure for airlines and their quality and efficiency - before it even begins? This news story is accurate and recent and reflects where things are heading: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/05/09/faa-artificial-intelligence-00909097 -Doug On Sun, May 17, 2026 at 12:40 AM ATHGroup--- via Mifnet <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Doug, Like you, I know what I read. As you can see below, Bryan Bedford (FAA Administrator), as I presume the heads of most Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), believes telling airlines/users how to operate their Billions of dollars of aircraft is a good thing. As a 45-year pilot (USAF, United, Business jets), with decades of airline operational and ATC expertise, I disagree and, if implemented, FAA’s Brand New ATC System (BNATCS) plan will increase airline costs and reduce airline quality. “We’ll tell you where we want you to be in three dimensions…and we’ll tell you where we want you to be to hit that top of descent mark to [meet] the constraints of the runway”. ( <https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2026-01-22/faas-bedford-provides-view-future-atc> Bryan Bedford, Washington Aero Club, Jan 22, 2026). Airlines and FAA need to turn this around to where airlines do the telling and FAA/ATC does the listening. Why does everyone want the government telling the airlines what to do? Next, FAA’s $31.5 BNATCS plan will not reduce airline delays since it fails to focus on <https://greenlandings.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/What-Should-Airlines-Want-MTS-WINTER-2026.pdf> the root cause of delays (random Point Overloads). That said, BNATCS is a positive for equipment replacement, which is needed. FAA will never solve the airline’s delay problem by building a system that fully controls the movement of their customers aircraft. Michael xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx R. Michael Baiada cell - (303) 521-6047 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] From: Doug Church via Mifnet <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2026 19:11 To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Cc: Jack Keady <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> >; Doug Church <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 76182] Re: Fw: Re: News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item Re: “BNATCS addresses none of this” How do you know? How much do you really know about what BNATCS has in store for airspace optimization other than it is not YOUR plan? Are you really saying your plan is the ONLY plan that could possibly be successful and you will not even wait to give BNATCS a chance? It’s not even built yet. Or rolled out. It’s being tested and going through the full vetting process by the competing companies. Why would you declare something a failure before you know anything about it and have not even seen it in action yet? Why not wait until passing judgment? What is the fixation on “my plan or no plan?” Where does that come from? Why is that wise? How about we all just wait and see what is possible in the coming months and years? How about we give it a chance? It’s the only chance we presently have. -Doug Church On Sat, May 16, 2026 at 9:58 PM Jack Keady via Mifnet <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: Does Mr. Baiada ever move on? keady replies: Should the Wright Brothers have moved on? Should Sikorsky have moved on? Should Goddard have moved on? ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: ATHGroup--- via Mifnet <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: "[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> " <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Cc: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2026 at 03:05:40 PM PDT Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 76177] Re: News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item Bob, Why would I move on when the task is not complete and the airline’s ”day of” operation is still dismal? 1. Airlines have delivered 30% of their customers late (A0) for the last 50 years and are happy with this result moving into the future. 2. Individual large airlines lose $5 Billion annually because of their willingness to ignore their delay problem. 3. Airlines completely and unnecessarily abdicate control over the movement of their aircraft to ATC. 4. ATC has spent $100s of Billions over the last 50 years trying to solve airline delays - and failed. 5. Now FAA wants to spend $31.5 Billion, which while helping with equipment failures, will do nothing to solve the root problem causing most delays. 6. Airline delays are just that - airline delays. Conversely, my proposed solution has been independently validated in actual airline operations by FAA, Embry-Riddle University, GE Aviation, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Tech and others at some of the world’s busiest airports, including Atlanta, Minneapolis, Detroit, Charlotte and Dubai ( <https://greenlandings.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/GreenLandings-Benefit-Summary-2023-05.pdf> GreenLandings® Benefit Summary). Next, with what part of my statements do you disagree? What have I said that is inaccurate? Have you taken the time to read even one of my papers? If so, please point to my mistake. Finally, you continually criticize my posts but have offered no solution of your own, nor, it seems, have you taken the time to even understand what I propose. Michael xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx R. Michael Baiada cell - (303) 521-6047 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] From: Robert S. Distler via Mifnet <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Saturday, May 16, 2026 14:33 To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> Cc: Robert S. Distler <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 76176] Re: News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item Does Mr. Baiada ever move on? Bob Distler From: ATHGroup--- via Mifnet < <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, 13 May, 2026 09:23 To: David Wardell < <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]> Cc: <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] Subject: [Mifnet 🛰 76157] News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item News Flash - Fuel is not the airlines largest controllable cost item.
While fuel is expensive ($3.878/gal, <https://www.iata.org/en/publications/economics/fuel-monitor/> IATA 2026-05-13), and a very large line-item on an airline's balance sheet, there is a controllable airline cost that is 4 times larger. I am talking about lost aircraft productivity, which has been institutionalized into the airline's "day of" operation though the continual addition of scheduled flight/gate time buffers. Unfortunately, this is not a visible line-item cost on the airline's balance sheet, so there is minimal focus on this problem, especially since airlines incorrectly assume that this is an ATC problem. Airlines accept this as the cost of doing business - it's NOT. Airlines could internally cut their scheduled flight/gate time buffers by 50% within just a few years. The upside, along with freeing up a significant amount of aircraft productivity, is that this also reduces the airline's delays and fuel costs. ATC can't do this, FAA/NATS/Eurocontrol can't do this, only each individual airline has the internal ability to dramatically improve their "day of" production line. Airlines could. Airlines should. Airlines don't. Airline Delays - Random Point Overloads White Paper (AGIFORS, 2026-04-14) - <https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnkd%2Ein%2FgzXJMnS8&urlhash=zEA-&mt=I6L7Mb4QOnPCn1Tr0NSIgIQRD_TjjJCuncolybNPjjrX77gZrsHHzAj-aZE0x1YRw22yeM0M4sT-5qp97pyz5Aj7FJ7fjAUFUYKrrgKO6pCf01Ihvu5qU-Pn&isSdui=true> https://lnkd.in/gzXJMnS8 Who Controls the Movement of the Aircraft? (Leeham News, 2026-03-31) - <https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnkd%2Ein%2FghuXRbCy&urlhash=l8cW&mt=tTzPYTRmeP8VM7MRmi1_80qk4mbHq7pDB2Up5vq8bm_463UIrwpeW4TSJ4Z5zrt909Qu-M1I6WgxitIZFKNQ2SC7WDEpvkPLy-jzA8HAppqLvfZEtZbtwpDx&isSdui=true> https://lnkd.in/ghuXRbCy What Airlines Should Want? (MTS, Winter, 2026) - <https://www.linkedin.com/safety/go/?url=https%3A%2F%2Flnkd%2Ein%2FgCpnAamr&urlhash=Ri43&mt=_NTTBsxQX0Byz_LlDJzhLlNjECoTwgFIXNVawCs7b7HEU_S4n9LOyX_icwvNt_LiQvHoqQuERPdEmK48r0SG1TYqZq-AT9IF2eSGvVRnfxStwOrPpO33iZSI&isSdui=true> https://lnkd.in/gCpnAamr Michael xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx R. Michael Baiada cell - (303) 521-6047 <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected]
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