March 2001
The Digital Sky
Tired of sitting on the runway? In a radical experiment that may provide a glimpse into the future of air traffic control, UPS is testing a satellite-based data communications system that could unclog the skies.
By David Talbot
Every night between 11:30 p.m. and 2:30 a.m., nearly windowless jets with distinctive brown tails converge on Louisville, KY. One by one, about 90 aircraft in the United Parcel Service fleet land at the company's distribution hub flanking the Louisville airport, disgorge some 600,000 parcels, reload and hit the sky again. The system is remarkably efficient, and it has helped to keep UPS aloft as the nation's ninth largest airline.
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology