Larger database will work on mobile devices

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced last week that the Federal Aviation Administration is planning to expand public access to its airport delay information, as part of the Obama Administration’s Open Government initiative. LaHood did not give a timetable for the expansion, but he said the information would be made available “through an Airport Status and Delays web service registered on Data.gov.” According to the Transportation Department, the web service “combines the FAA’s information about ground delays, airport closures, ground stops and arrival or departure delays with local weather provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Travelers and those waiting for them can use the service to view real-time updates on the status and causes of airport delays, as well as the current weather picture, through queries for individual airports.” The agency said that the new database will be available in multiple formats, “so the data can be used in a variety of interactive web applications, including those on mobile devices.”