This is a very significant evolution of FAA’s ATC rules and procedures. These changes were implemented to increase the number of arrivals that could be handled each hour. These changes have proven to be most problematic at three of the airports that have had the most impactful NextGen implementations: Boston, Sea-Tac, and San Francisco. The latest version of this Order (effective 7/25/2017) is presented below; the earlier versions, spanning from late 2008 until today, are also archived and may be accessed via the links in this table:
- 11/5/2008: FAA Order JO7110.308 (6p) … the original FAA Order
- 10/30/2012: FAA Order JO7110.308, chg.3 (11p) … the original FAA Order, incorporating changes 1 through 3
- 6/1/2015: FAA Order JO7110.308A (8p) … the first major revision of the original FAA Order to include a name change to ‘JO7110.308A’
Take a close look at these Orders. They represent nine years of FAA working with industry to tweak arrival rates upward. Also, understand that these orders represent a substantial reduction in separation (and thus safety margins) between flights, solely to increase airport capacity. FAA and industry call this ‘inceasing ruway throughput’. Note, too, these changes were implemented without environmental review and with ZERO concern for the impacts on people and homes below.