Research Statement of Hamsa Balakrishnan

The air transportation system is a large, complex, global system that transports over 2.1 billion passengers each year. Air traffic delays have become a huge problem for passengers and airlines; they even make the headlines in the popular press and lead to new legislation. Aircraft are also the fastest growing contributor to man-made greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Joint Economic Committee of the US Senate, domestic air traffic delays in 2007 cost airlines over $19 billion and the US economy over $41 billion, wasted 740 million gallons of jet fuel, and released an additional 7.1 billion kilograms of CO2 into the atmosphere.