Has the air traffic control issue at EWR been resolved?

[Owen Lucas]

Hard to predict the future, but based on previous flights to EWR, including having to deplane 3 times, I have a little concern over the ATC issues at the airport.

Apparently the last time I flew and a few times since, the connection between EWR and PHL, where the ATC apparently views or controls the radar, disconnected multiple times during the day leading to multiple ground stops. In my case it was a 9 hour delay.

I am seriously considering driving instead.

What say you frequent travellers and pilots? Is the situation at EWR still prone to delays?

 

[rijndael]

I don't understand how reducing flights out of there helps maintain ATC radar contact with an airplane. It seems like it just reduces the risks.

 

[JohnnyG]

Not sure wher EWR is, but I did read where the fiber optic cable into New Jersy is complete. I suppose that includes PHL.

 

[andrew_j]

My coworkers commute thru Newark every other week. They said no changes.

 

[JD!]

Obviously the acute cause of the failure has been resolved (from what I understand, some wire burned up) but Newark Approach's radar is still run off of the same seemingly fickle copper datalink to N90 that failed recently. The nitty-gritty of it is probably only known by Tech Ops and the higher-ups, but as we found out, there was no backup link - a short-sighted practice. Although it's unlikely, it wouldn't totally shock me if another similar equipment failure occurred in the future.

Combine this with a terribly short workforce and it's been rough times at EWR. The fiber line isn't set to be online until July.

I'm not on the East coast, but I know that there are many great people working at that facility who will do their best given the circumstances. Many of the best and brightest in the system work there. They're working hard and the media coverage has definitely lit a fire under the agency's behind to get things in order.

 

[fdcg27]

EWR has long been close to disastrous delays in normal operations.
The current runway closure and the short staffing levels for ATC have only made things worse.
We are heading across the pond in July and I'm glad not to have booked us a connection through Newark, which I would normally avoid even with everything looking good.
We flew through EWR once and our connecting flight home was cancelled for no good reason I could see. That was enough for us.

 

[Foreman04]

There are flight checker apps available you can easily see if flights are still really experiencing abnormal delays. Check Newarkairport.com Flight Tracker Result. You can filter by departing, arrival, airlines etc. I’ve been watching it closely to determine whether I want to fly out of EWR or PHL.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Alright, flight booked, thank guys!

Now let's hope that TSA precheck line is not longer than the regular TSA line. I'll arrive 3 hours in advance just to be safe.