FAA Updates Procedures, Encourages Preferred Routes for Efficient Seasonal Florida Traffic Management

Dec. 4, 2024

The beginning of another busy travel season offers a reminder that business aviation smoothly, unobtrusively facilitates commerce and connectivity all through the year.

The moment also highlights the industry’s effective partnership with government and other stakeholders in optimizing aviation system management, especially when weather and other factors impact traffic flows.

In preparation for this year’s upcoming busy season, the FAA has new traffic management procedures planned for air traffic to and from Florida.

Jacksonville ARTCC (ZJX) will implement a new capping strategy in which aircraft are cleared to fly at a lower altitude to more efficiently utilize all altitude stratums. The ultra-high sectors in ZJX (FL350 and above) are routinely at or above max volume capacity, often causing a need for restrictive traffic management initiatives (TMIs). At the same time, the high sectors (FL240-FL340) are under-utilized and could absorb the excess volume, likely reducing the need for TMIs.

On high volume days, ZJX will publish a “Required Capping/Tunneling Advisory” for specified target markets.

Example markets are:

• ZJX/TPA departures to ZDC/PHL airports
• ZTL/ZX departures to MCO/TPA/RSW/SRQ/PIE and other ZJX airports
• ZJX/TPA departures to ZTL airports
• MIA/FLL/PBI departures to ATL/CLT and satellite airports

The agency’s goal will be to target those flights on short-range city pairs where it makes the most sense to fly at a lower altitude.

Active advisories are published and viewable from the FAA National Airspace System Status web site and the FAA’s Advisories Database.

“By more effectively spreading aircraft volume across all altitude stratums, the FAA hopes to minimize the need for more restrictive traffic management initiatives, such as airspace flow programs” said Jan Planten, manager of NBAA Air Traffic Services.

“These initiatives are most likely to occur on the higher volume days, such as southbound traffic on Thursdays and Fridays, and northbound departures on Sundays or immediately after a holiday,” Planten added.

Operators also are reminded to file preferred routes, especially as the higher volume season begins. The FAA cautions that unstructured routes minimize the effectiveness of less restrictive TMIs and create additional workload for air traffic controllers.

Preferred routes can be found through flight plan service providers and through the FAA’s Route Management Tool. Get the facts about business aviation’s use of the aviation system, including during busy holiday periods.