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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2005-05-26 Airport Advisory Board Agenda AGENDA DANIA BEACH AIRPORT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MAY 26, 2005, THURSDAY 7:00 P.M. 1. ROLL CALL AND SELF INTRODUCTION 2. EXCUSED ABSENCES 3. MINUTES 3.1 APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MEETING FEBRUARY 24, 2004 4 ELECTIONS a. ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON b. ELECTION OF VICE CHAIRPERSON c. ELECTION OF SECRETARY d. ELECTION OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY 5. PRESENTATION OF SUB COMMITTEE REPORTS. 5.1 DISCUSSION OF RUNWAY PROJECT, MASTER PLAN UPDATE & PART 150 PROJECT, EIS UPDATE, TASK FORCE UPDATE, WEB PAGE STATUS. 5.2 NOISE ABATEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING DISCUSSION 5.3 PRESENTATION OF ANY MEMBER RUNUP LOGS 6. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 71 NEW BUSINESS 8. ADJOURN A REMINDER FROM THE CHAIR: ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS WHO ARE UNABLE TO ATTEND THIS MEETING SHOULD WRITE A NOTE TO DANIA CLERK STATING YOU WILL BE ABSENT OR YOU WILL BE CHARGED WITH AN UNEXCUSED ABSENCE. THANK YOU. SEE YOU AT THE MEETING. AIRPORT ADVISORY CURRENT MEMBERS Thursday, May 19, 2005 Appointed Term Began Term Ends Date Date Date Commissioner Airport Advisory Board Beverly Worley April 26, 2005 March 23, 2005 March , 2007 Flury 4541 SW 25 Avenue Dania Beach, FL 33312 (954)465-0775 Airport Advisory Board Zachary Adams March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March , 2007 Anton 837 Argonaut Isle Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 921-1610 Airport Advisory Board Billy Phipps March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 Anton 946 Nautilus Isle Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 923-0270 Airport Advisory Board Irvin Witz April 12, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 McElyea 830 NW 7th Avenue Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 920-8554 ------------------------------------------------------------- Airport Advisory Board Thomas P. Allen March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 Anton 2925 Lakeshore Dr. Estates of Ft. Lauderdale Dania Beach, FL 33312 (954)987-5297 ------------------------------------------------------------- Airport Advisory Board Bob Mikes March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 McElyea 835 NW 13th Avenue l Dania Beach, FL 33004 (954) 921-5779 --------------------------------------------------------------- G:1Boards 05-071Airport Advisory Board\Airport Membership List updated03-28-05.DOC 1 AIRPORT ADVISORY CURRENT MEMBERS Thursday, May 19, 2005 Appointed Term Began Term Ends Date Date Date Commissioner ------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------- Airport Advisory Board Beulah Lair March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 Flury 1433 NW 8 Street Dania Beach, FL 33004 921-4715 Airport Advisory Board Rae Sandler March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 Castro 810 NW 7th Avenue Dania Beach, FL 33004 954-649-0396 Airport Advisory Board Dick Sokol March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 Castro 609 NW 1 Oth Street Dania Beach, FL 33004 954-925-9441 Airport Advisory Board Betty Sokol March 22, 2005 March 23, 2005 March, 2007 Castro 609 NW 1 Oth Street Dania Beach, FL 33004 954-925-9441 Airport Advisory Board Charles Fischer April 12, 2005 March, 2005 March, 2007 Flury 4928 Spinnaker Drive Dania Beach,FL 33312 954-340-7474 Airport Advisory Board Jay Field April 26, 2005 March, 2005 March, 2007 Bertino 4520 SW 30th Wa Y Dania Beach,FL 33312-5623 954-962-6335 G:\Boards 05-071Airport Advisory Board\Airport Membership List updated03-28-05.DOC 2 AIRPORT ADVISORY CURRENT MEMBERS Thursday, May 19, 2005 Appointed Term Began Term Ends Date Date Date Commissioner Airport Advisory Board Vacant March, 2005 March, 2007 Airport Advisory Board Vacant March, 2005 March, 2007 Airport Advisory Board Vacant March, 2005 March, 2007 G:\Boards 05-071Airport Advisory Board\Airport Membership List updated03-28-05.DOC 3 B WLA COUNT"116 110-1, AVIATION DEPARTMENT- r,--q Laud erda_e/i-io'EN" c= A"nort 32:0 7�'rrira'WnrNe * FB Iv'aiie.FtaorlOa 333,15 - 454-34,59-6100 April 5, 2005 MEMORANDUM TO: Roger J.. Desiadais,County Administrator FROM: Tom R. Jargiello, Director of Aviation SUBJECT: Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control(FAA ATC) Runway Utilization Discussions Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport(FLL) Or, Thursday, March 10, 2005, a meeting was held at the Aviation Department fBCAD) offices with representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Control (FAA ATC) Division. Attached hereto is the list of attendees at this meeting. The purpose of the meeting was afollow-up to the local FAA ATCs Interest to institute , tute a test program to secure runway utilization data to justify amending the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport's (FLL's) Informal Runway Use Tower Order("Tower Order),dated March 15, 1998(copy attached), The soec-ific, changes the local FAA ATC are seeking is the removal of the restriction against using Runway 11.3/31 except in emergency situations and the removal of the restriction prohibiting the landing of jet aircraft on9R127L, The removal of these restrictions from the Tower Order would allow the FAA ATC to implement aiternative runway utilization protocols, which include the use of Runway 13131 on an on-going bass dependent on traffic congestion without the emergency closure of Runway 9L/27R. This Initiative was a follow-up:to a request of the FAA ATC in November, 2004 which resulted in BCAD's written request that prior to the Implementation of such test program that the FAA conduct an environmental evaluation to ascertain the impacts of their proposals on the communities surrounding the FLL, A summary of the FAA ATC's runway utilizabon request is as follows: I. Rernovat of the-restriction 2rohLbjg!] lircr tg.M it in Rgnway 9K ZLo_ 2 This removal would make this runway available for jet aircraft,although the type of aircraft would still i be restricted to aircraft below the County Ordinance 58,000 pound weight restricton, The jet aircraft restriction, as outlined above,would be removed from&00 am to 8:00 pm,on. a 365 day basis. 2. !goady!q a I 80-day test OEMm which w2uld Ltmgvo alf.."21MOMincY.use on!y"'restrictions on Runwffit 131.31, This test program would be the FAA ATVs attempt to quantify the reduction, if any, that the utilization of Runway 13131 would have on the current airfield congestion experienced at FLL during peak operational periods and potential airspace impacts on other airports, erc'Aard County surd ofyin orn"'nawners KMWe 0. 4COW—0eft Ueowmv)a johr,t Rocstrwr, j, scr7�1'1-Dana'Nav'pom;n Putvt Vie*er WWW!trowarl vg/flt Roger J- Desiartais April 5, 2005 Page T-wo The FAA ATCs preliminarily response at the meeting was that both protocols,as referenced above,did not constitute a significant federal action, triggering National Environmental Policy Act(NEPA)applicability,. Their preliminary assessment,therefore,concluded that because there was no significant federal action.,the requests involved herein did not warrant an environmental evaluation process,either by an environmental assessment(EA)or an environmental impact statement:(EIS)- Additional information was also provided by the FAA ATC regarding the implementation of a national airspace control program,designated as the"General Aviation Airport Program"(GAAP)[November 20041., This program authorized the FAA ATC,on a nabonal basis,to restrict the landing times for general aviation traffic at domestic United States airports experiencing peak time delays. Although this protocol was authorized as a final order in January 2005, the FAA ATC has been testing GAAP for the past four to six months. This time period coincides with information received by BCAD staff from the FLL tenant Fixed Base Operator's (FBO's), that they have been experiencing substantial operational delays du6ng peak periods at the FLL for this 6 month period. BCAD was not informed, nor did we participate in the GAAP analysis or test program, unW we became aware of the protocol on March 10, 2005. In addition to implementing the:GAAP,the FAA AT has also instituted an airspace flow control restrictions applicable to FLL, which limits the FLL arrivals to 28per hour. In response to the information provided at this meeting, BCAD is instituting the following immediate actions- 1. Delay Verification. Compilation of verified,documentation outlining the air traffic delays at the FLL., including, but not limited to, (A) Quantified time delays by hour and day and classification by FLL users (commercial air carrier, commuter and general aviation). (B) Identification of other delay factors(weather, seasonal or other airport congestion)which residually impact FLL congestion and may not be derived from FLL runway capacity issues, 2. ,Ai ternpilves to ion ggAllgaMellayl. Identification of all available alternatives,not only runway utilization,which could be utilized to relieve peak hour air traffic congestion at the FLL. 3. Noise C:qntour Pre crag qrj, Prepare noise contours evaluating the noise impact to the areas surrounding the FLL which will be experienced by these communities because of the proposed changes to the FLL's runway utilization protocols as recommended by the FAA A.T . Roger I Desl'arlais Ap6l 5, 2005 Page Three 4. LFA Coordinati211, The Runway Alternative Analysis Report, dated November 2003, prepared b Leigh Fisher Associates(LFA)projected that the FLL would not reach an unacceptable runway annual average delay capacity until 2011 (6 to 8 minutes), The current airfield delay results should be re-evaluated by LFA in order for them to update their November 2003 report as needed 5. EIS Coordination* Review of the FAA ATCs proposed actions as described herein to determine the mpact these proposals would have on the current EIS scope and schedule. 6. Leaal Review. Request the County Attorney's office coordinate a legal review of these actions with Michael Schneiderman.,. Esq., Special Counsel to Brows-rd County, to determine all of the County's legal options. We have:already begun our coordinabon to secure the information outlined above, please let me no if you have any questions regarding our actions in this matter. cc, Bertha Henry, Deputy County Administrator Zach Williams, Assistant County Administrator Rob Hernandez, Assistant to the County Administrator Wait Houghton, Acting Deputy Director Barbara Hill, Assistant County Attorney Diana Lewis, Director, Planning &Development Ron Mathieu, Director, Operations David Biomeboe, Assistant to the Director Ti/cil Attachments H.""WR T.ARunwsy.Imp4,,T*n1zIwn�FAA Ueeft 03 10 05dcc Federal Aviation Administration Air Trams Control(FAA AT C) Runway fitti*n Meeting March 10,200 NAME E TITLE Bill Kribble Acting AJr Traffic Manager, FLL ATCT,FAA Jeff Hail Regional Operation Specialist FT U-A lant , FAA Robert Berlucchi -st:Ar Tragic Manager, PBI ATCT,FA Steve Kelley Airspace Redesign Project Manager, ETSU-NY, FAA o Keane Environmental Specialist, E U-NY, FAA Tom Jargiello Director r of Aviation Wait Houghton Acting Deputy Director of Aviation Diana Lewis Director of Planning &Development, BCAD Ron Mathieu Director of Operation, RCA. Winston Cannicle Noise Abatement Officer,SCAR Barbara Hill Assistant Count Attorney Rob Hernandez Assistant to the County Administrator Suzie Kleymeyer Landrum and Brown Mar Faun Landrum and Brown i t CUNTy AVIA' N DEPARTMENT - rMe/ MyWOod Kernationat Airport FORT LAUDE ►DALE-HOLLYWOOD ViTER ATIO AL AIRP ,RT , INFORMAL RUNWAY USE PROGRAM Towner Order 1 L$400.9a March 15, 1"S APPLICATION: Informal Runway Use program - an approved runway use proms which. does not rum a letter of understanding,and padeipation in the proFm is voluntary for aircraft operators/pikKs. 1. RUNNVAY USE PROCEDURES: . . The Fort Lauderdale - Hollywood International Airport Infannal Runway Use Program apples to all turbojet a rera r+ega dleas of weight. b. Runway 9L is the prefared runway.and is the calm wind runway. C. All turbqjet_arrivls and 4epartures will use runway 91J27R. d oval and departure proce ure . 1. art=9Lj,9R,27R,27.L Rernain on rrnway heWing until 3,000 fed or thm 3 miles; 2. Departures 13:°Tum left heading 090 derma as soon as practical,maintain 090 degrees until reaching 3,000 feet or th (3)miles. 3. Departurts 31 u�leftheading degrees as sin as practical,maintain 270 degrees until reaching 3,000 feet or the 3 miles. C. Runway 9R/27I»is closed from 2200-0700 local for noise abatement. . HELICOPTER ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE PROCEDURES: a� From downtown Fort Lauderdale - allow the railroad tracks and remain east of Snyder park. h. North and south enroute-via beach at or below 500, feet,or via 1-95 eorr%dor. C. East/west.between the parallel runways. sm-wird,Cokm$ONO •C AW Came �Nol iglel'�''r°��R:.Jr •ate):met".*sue CWrz0W .r*.(fool In M..n�s WV � .. ,�i�� ..�. I OPERATIONAL SISAFETY CRITERIA: Note The tail vnind compormads o -Y apply'whenopetWingon nmway .A Windsh�° or "" tom+ ttorrz -R Them should be no sipificant. wUiUi5hW at thunderstorm whit affect the use of the selected runway(s)such as by an oting Low Lent Wind Show Alert System (LWAS)�or 2. Pilot report of windshear,or o i iitW;Wk"ffdepvftn poth or fin Vim" (win 3 r of the selected ruay. ib -In onier to� . rm ays with a nmwa 54 C. Runway Brig Eff - No braking eflectivams reports of Iew than -G41. x. W"inds Clear and Dty Runways-, a.. The crosswind component for selected runway (includiq gust valucs�must not bc greater tha 20 J=u(see Appendix 1,Table I . b. The txilwW.component must not be greater than five Appendix 1.Table 3 , 1 Runways not Clear and D' a. The msswind component(includes Sust values), must not ,Tabs b NO tag V« ' t may be prey cwqA the no ' o . winds a calm ( - knots), may be nst n Wi tailwind+ rod. APPENDIX 1 TABLE OF MAMMUM WIND VALE The following table Uhntmtes tht components for win directiom in W egrf ""five * =way. No a d% d �� ���� �ta�. because s eadtr wed Wicate use of a rnwa r&Ugned into the wtW due to the ato ind hmitadon.Vekxity values an wunded to the nit whole F atOSSMIM COh 01fiNT TABLE 1 (DRY RU?4WV Wed WW mftco m WMWO ., 10 14 20 so 3 40 40 3 45 28 M 26 6 23 70 21 20 90 20 CROSSWIND COMPONENT PONEN '"ABA. 2 (RUNWAY NOT DRY) (Dev M VeWW 20 3 3 40 2 45 21 5 1 70 6 so 90 15 TAILWIND COMPONEW TAKE 3 (WffHOU.ANEOMMRS) . (DRY RUNWAY1 2 / /\ : . . Wu-J V*k)dty.Wjuft) fivm%mmy H N 2 . . . . . . . . } . . . . .� 20 \ � > ` � � ` . . Ito I4 %.2 to 13 7 135 7 %40 6 _ 50 5 - % . }70 � } . | , ! ) \ App*Wix 2 \ � Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer HOME I NEWS I SPORTS I ENTERTAINMENT I CLASSIFIED I BUSINESS I WEATHER SHOPPING http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-zport13 may 13,0,1515820.story?colt=sfla-home- headlines Airport limits could force Broward to turn away cruise passengers Broward Community College By Tom Stieghorst Business Writer May 13,2005 Broward County may have to force cruise passengers to go elsewhere because of limited capacity at its main airport, Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle said on Thursday. Naugle said he would prefer to do that rather than lose convention delegates who spend more money while in South Florida. "If you can only have one,which one would you rather have?"Naugle said in an interview after a meeting of the county's Tourist Development Council. Naugle's comments make plain some of the tough trade-offs the county faces as it grapples with competing demands for newly limited air service. The FAA recently capped hourly aircraft landings at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport to curb delays.The airport faces a long-term capacity crunch unless it lengthens one of its runways for use by commercial jets in the future. As air delays and controls multiply at the airport,they will start to erode convention attendance, Dennis Edwards,a senior vice president at the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau told the TDC meeting. More than 500,000 people came to Broward last year for a large meeting or convention,mostly by air. Many of the 9,500 attendees at the recently completed meeting of vision researchers in Fort Lauderdale,for example,came from overseas. The bureau said the economic impact of that meeting alone was nearly$20 million. The average convention-goer spends$461 a day,the visitors bureau said. The city gets more benefit from them than from cruise passengers,Naugle said. Although part of the port is in Fort Lauderdale,it is run as a division of the county government. Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs said she doesn't support Naugle's idea, in part because it could jeopardize debt service on bonds issued by the port. "The idea that we solve the airport's problems by driving away one portion of the tourism industry,that's not the solution,"Jacobs said. Cruises are the single largest source of revenue for Port Everglades,where 20 cruise lines mount 2,854 cruises a year. Last year they carried about 4.1 million passengers and contributed about$31 million to the port's coffers. On some winter weekends as many as 13 cruise ships crowd the port,discharging 20,000 passengers at a time. Naugle said that only a fraction of cruise passengers stay in hotels on pre-or post-cruise packages. "They eat up all the[airline]capacity and leave little left for the community,"he said. An estimated 10 percent of the airport's 20 million arrivals and departures last year were cruise-related, airport spokesman Steve Belleme said. Big cruise lines have long-term port contracts for berth and terminal space. Naugle said that as those contracts come up for renewal they could be modified or abandoned to trim the number of cruise patrons moving through the airport. Some hotels do benefit from cruise passengers. A study by the International Council of Cruise Lines found about one-third of passengers coming to Florida ports stayed one or more nights in a hotel,spending an average of$177 a night. Complicating the issue,cruise passengers who fly through Fort Lauderdale don't necessarily sail from Port Everglades. Some fly discount airlines to catch cruises from Miami. On busy weekends,passengers sailing from Port Everglades sometimes fly through airports in Miami, West Palm Beach and even Fort Myers and reach their cruise by bus. Tom Stieghorst can be reached at ttieghorst@sun-sentinel.com or at 305-810-5008. Copyright©2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer HOME I NEWS I SPORTS I ENTERTAINMENT I CLASSIFIED I BUSINESS I WEATHER SHOPPING http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-zairportl I may 11,0,6056056.story Fort Lauderdale airport hampered by growing pains,delays Lauderdale must expand to relieve congestion,airline officials say CareerBuilder By Niala Boodhoo Business Writer May 11,2005 Senior airline executives are frustrated about congestion at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and want expansion there,they said Tuesday at an airline conference in Miami. "Fort Lauderdale has some real operational difficulties," said Ben Baldanza,the president of Miramar-based Spirit Airways. "There are some real physical challenges to growth." Baldanza and executives from JetBlue Corp.,American Airlines and Delta Air Lines Inc.made the remarks at the International Airline CEO conference organized by aviation consultants AvGroup Inc.of Miami. The comments come as Fort Lauderdale is suffering growing pains.The airport boomed in recent years with new facilities and increased services,especially from low-cost carriers. Some growth came at the expense of larger Miami International Airport,dominated by American Airlines. Traffic rose 16 percent last year to nearly 21 million passengers. By this winter,the airport was so congested it posted almost as many nonweather delays as the two busiest U.S.airports combined-- Chicago's O'Hare and Atlanta's Hartsfield. Flights were delayed almost four times as much as they were the year before,according to flight data released last month. The Federal Aviation Administration wants local officials to find a fix by this fall.The FAA is also considering the unlimited use of the airport's two smaller runways,and has sent a team to investigate whether the current main runway can accommodate more traffic. Conference organizer Robert Booth said Fort Lauderdale is so popular that the airport needs even bigger facilities. "They're saying that Fort Lauderdale needs to grow,needs to expand," said Booth,AvGroup's chairman. Airlines want a second runway built at the airport,a project opposed by some county commissioners and community activists.The county already has opened a new terminal and renovated another,among other expansions. JetBlue's Tim Claydon said airlines are working with the airport on solutions. For example,JetBlue requested and received a fourth gate at the airport. Still, it is looking at the possibility of adding service to Miami. "As Fort Lauderdale airport becomes busier and busier,we need to keep our options open,"said Claydon,a senior vice president with the low-cost carrier based in New York.Claydon said JetBlue had yet to make "any firm plans," but was also interested in Miami because of its passengers who live there but now drive to Fort Lauderdale. "Obviously,a percentage of our customers would prefer to fly out of Miami,"he said. American has already seen a"significant shift in traffic"from Fort Lauderdale back to Miami,since reducing its Miami fares,said marketing executive David Cush. Fort Lauderdale airport officials acknowledged problems,especially delays in U.S.Customs processing of international passengers,but said delays should be alleviated by the airport expansion. "The airport is addressing congestion," said Ed Nelson,director of air service development. He said the Broward County Commission on Tuesday gave the go-ahead on some parts of the airport's new expansion plan. "You still have a time when you're dealing with Spirit,Avianca,Air Jamaica and US Airways(international flights)in a two-hour period,"he said. "That should be addressed in the second phase." Copyright©2005, South Florida Sun-Sentinel Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer Spacer HOME I NEWS I SPORTS I ENTERTAINMENT I CLASSIFIED I BUSINESS I WEATHER SHOPPING http:Hwww.sun-sentineI.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-cairport07aprO7,0,5171997.story Neighborhoods face more noise from busy Fort Lauderdale airport Broward Community College By Scott Wyman Staff writer April 7,2005 The Federal Aviation Administration has limited the number of planes allowed to land each hour at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and may expand the use of two secondary runways because of concern about increasing travel delays. The FAA moves caught county officials in charge of the airport and residents of surrounding neighborhoods in Dania Beach and Fort Lauderdale off guard.They questioned whether the FAA has considered the consequences,particularly the noise created by planes taking off and landing from the other runways. "It's absolutely unfathomable that they would do this because it takes noise impacts out into neighborhoods in an unprecedented way and would destroy the quality of life in large parts of the community," Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs said. The moves follow worsening congestion at the airport this winter. In January and February,almost a third of the 12,000 commercial flights into Fort Lauderdale arrived late. Among the nation's 33 busiest airports,only Atlanta, Boston,Newark,Chicago's O'Hare and New York's LaGuardia posted worse on-time performance records during those months. To meet the demand, FAA officials have told the airport that they want to remove longtime flight restrictions so small jets can use the south runway and both commercial airliners and private jets can use the crosswind runway.Only propeller planes currently use the south runway,and the crosswind strip is open only during emergencies. Kathleen Bergen,a spokeswoman for the FAA in Atlanta,said a final decision has not been made on using the two runways. She said the agency is aware of the controversial nature of opening them to more use and wants to talk about it further with the county. The FAA began last fall to crack down on unscheduled noncommercial flights,using new authority it has to regulate traffic at airports experiencing heavy delays during peak hours.Air traffic controllers have been assigning slots to commercial airliners and private jets that schedule their arrivals in advance and turning away other flights once they reach the airport's capacity each hour. Air traffic controllers are limiting the number of arrivals at the airport to 28 an hour. Airport Director Tom Jargie!lo said in a memo to county commissioners that he and his staff were unaware of the restriction until recently. Private jet operators have faced substantial delays and flown to other regional airports as far away as Fort Myers as a result. Virtually all of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood's traffic now uses the main northern runway. The FAA plan would allow small jets to use the south runway from 8 a.m.to 8 p.m.and would create a six-month trial program in which the crosswind runway would be used as well.Although it is capable of handling commercial jetliners,that runway is used only if there is a problem or construction on the main runway. Aviation experts have warned the county that such unrestricted use could become necessary if traffic continued to grow and a second major runway was not built. Plans to lengthen the south runway to handle commercial jets have been on hold since drawing major objections from nearby residents and environmental activists several years ago. Traffic at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood grew 10 percent last year,going from 287,000 takeoffs and landings to 315,000.There were 29,000 takeoffs and landings in each of the first two months of the year,a rise of 7 percent over the same time last year. The airport had been in the middle of the pack among the busiest airports in the late 1990s in terms of on- time flights,but no longer.About 20 percent of arrivals and 14 percent of departures were late in 1998, but 30 percent of arrivals and 26 percent of departures have been late so far this year. Six regularly scheduled flights from Fort Lauderdale were late at least 80 percent of the time in February, according the U.S. Department of Transportation. Residents, including those who have both supported and opposed the extension of the south runway,were dismayed. The use of the crosswind runway leads to loud jet noise in southern neighborhoods of Fort Lauderdale and eastern Dania Beach,while the south runway would increase noise in parts of Dania Beach, Hollywood and Davie. Dania Beach City Commissioner Bob Anton,a resident of the nearby Melaleuca Gardens neighborhood, said the FAA should retreat because the runway restrictions are part of agreements drawn up to protect residents. Randy Dunlap,a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood activist who has pushed for airport expansion, said foot-dragging on the south runway created the problem. "I knew this was coming; I just didn't know how soon," Dunlap said. Scott Wyman can be reached at swyman@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4511. Copyright©2005,South Florida Sun-Sentinel 1