The Nation - News from Dec. 10, 1986

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration said the government is trying to alleviate air traffic delays, which are up 22% this year from 1985. Donald D. Engen said 60% to 70% of the delays on commercial airlines are caused by bad weather, but he said officials are revising routes and procedures throughout the East to speed up service. There are more than 15,000 airline flights a day, and, last year, the number of flights delayed averaged 1,106 daily, the FAA said. It said that during the first 11 months of this year, the number reached 1,132.