The Federal Aviation Administration has announced a 10-year, $11 billion plan to modernize the air travel system and reduce snarl. The plan is great as far as it goes. It is an amalgam of dozens of incremental improvements. Many are already working on a trial basis, and each will do a little good. For instance, a new runway at a busy airport can add 1 percent to overall airline traffic capacity. The F.A.A. proposes building new runways at 15 busy airports. Together it says its measures should add 30 percent to total system capacity by 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/06/11/opinion/11FALL.html