O’Hare has eight active runways, 52 miles of taxiways and 234 acres of ramp space that must be cleared every time it snows. And on average, Chicago gets 38 inches of snow annually. “But obviously that's only an average--last year we got 82 inches of snow,” says Jonathan Leach, chief operating officer at Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
After the blizzard on Super Bowl Sunday, the area had received 43 inches of snow. When a winter storm clobbers the Midwest, delaying or cancelling flights out of the nation’s busiest airport, it can have a domino effect that leads to delays and cancellations across the nation. “The last thing we want is to be named as the primary contributor to any excessive delays or cancellations,” Leach says.
To lessen a storm’s impact, the airport continually monitors the runways through vehicle inspections, pilot reports and friction testing. The only time runways close is when pilots call in continuous poor or nil braking action.
“Safety has to be top of mind, so in those cases, we'll close the runway right away and do the necessary snow removal to get the runway back up to acceptable standards,” he says. “It's never our intent to keep it closed for a long time. As you can imagine, both the tower and the airlines get anxious to get it back up. Our teams are very dedicated and work hard to make sure we don't keep that runway down for any longer than it needs to be.
“It’s important to us that we provide reliability for our carriers so they know they can depend on us to keep the airfields clean and active during winter operations,” he continues. “If we failed to do so, this could result in delays and cancellations costing people time, money and aggravation. We're very cognizant of how important it is to keep the airfield clean. We don't want to put a stress on the rest of the national airspace.We're very adamant about keeping runways open and active during weather operations whether there is 1 inch or 20 inches of snow.”
But how does an airport the size of Chicago O’Hare, with flight operations transporting 70 million people annually through the Windy City, cope with winter weather conditions? Airport Business recently spoke with Leach to find out.
What kind of staff does an airport the size of O’Hare need for winter operations?
We employ a fairly robust staff to handle snow operations, starting with our motor truck drivers, who both drive the snow equipment and the lead vehicles to take around the teams. We have 384 total motor truck drivers. Of that number, 263 are seasonal, meaning we bring them on specifically for the snow season from about October through April. We have 45 airfield operations personnel. They do a number of things, they go up into the air traffic control tower, they stay in our operations tower, and they're down on the airfield inspecting the pavement. We have 100 facilities personnel, who go around and do a number of things, from spreading salt on sidewalks and shoveling snow to helping clean the equipment. We also have 37 mechanics who work on the equipment. And we have up to 133 contractors, who may be dispatched into the ramp area when we receive 2 or more inches of snow. We call them out to push and pile the snow on the ramp area and then melt it.
What do you need in terms of equipment for winter ops?
The airport owns 239 pieces of snow equipment. We're able to access up to another 150 pieces of equipment from our contractors. Normally those are different sized blades for the push and pile, high lifts to lift snow into the snow melters, and things like that. We also have 11 snow melters that can be moved around the airfield.
What happens when a significant weather event is predicted?
We contract with various weather services, which we use to monitor the weather event as soon as it's predicted … usually several days out. Often the forecast changes, so we don't really start finalizing plans until the event is just hours away. We do have daily weather calls at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. During these calls, George Lyman, the managing deputy of airfield operations, will lay out his plan for the event and solicit feedback from all of the divisions that will need to staff for the event--vehicle services, which is our motor truck drivers; fleet mechanics; facilities and landside operations; terminal operations; safety and security; and the media relations team. Once we get an idea on the amount of snow, we'll call an alert and dispatch various teams onto the airfield and landside to clear the runways, taxiways, roadways, sidewalks, etc.
What is the process for staging equipment and preparing for an event?
We have strategic positions [for staging] on the airfield. Our airfield's divided into two areas, north of the terminal core and south of the terminal core. Eventually the teams go out and start clearing the taxiways and the runways. They'll go back to those staging areas when they need fuel, light maintenance or cleaning. Then we have predetermined locations for the snow melters. This requires us to coordinate with the airlines as we need to take gates from them, both to push and pile the snow into the gate area and position snow melters over a drain specifically installed in the ramp area.
How do you prioritize what needs to be done first during an event?
We don't have a predetermined order in which we'll take the runways. We have two different airfield configurations now, and those runways have different utilizations. As a result, we can't predict which runway needs to be cleaned first. We monitor the braking action reports from the pilots utilizing these runways and when we get poor braking reports or if we hear nil, we'll shut down and we'll ask to take the runway. We call our operations person in the FAA air traffic control tower and ask the tower to close that runway. Air traffic then starts rearranging aircraft to allow us to take that runway. At that point, we will dispatch the team needed to clean the runway. We also have a team moving around the airfield to clear primary routes for taxiways during the event.
How does the rate of snowfall and the moisture content of the snow affect what you're doing?
The rate and content really dictate what level of alert we go into as well as determine which teams we dispatch on the airfield. For example, if there's a light, fluffy snow, then we'll focus more on broom and de-icer teams. If the snow if heavier, we'll focus on deploying plows, blowers, and 3-in-1s to assist in the operation. We also monitor both air and pavement temperatures so we can predict the type of precipitation as well as the chances for precipitation. This information factors into the timing in dispatching the teams, and which teams and equipment will go out. We also watch the winds [direction and speed] to determine which way to push and blow the snow. That gives us an idea of where significant drifting may occur so that we can monitor those areas to keep them clear.
What inspection process do you have in place to monitor conditions?
We have a lot of, for lack of a better word, boots on the ground during snow operations to keep an eye on the airfield. This personnel can call in any issues they see both on taxiways and movement areas, but our main source of information for the runways is the braking action reports from the pilots themselves. Our operations personnel as well as our lead drivers will ensure the runways are cleared as much as possible then after the de-icer is sprayed, we'll send a friction tester down to the runway to get a reading and if the friction levels are acceptable, we'll alert the air traffic control tower that the runway is available.
How do you take care of the human factor?
We hire additional staff during the snow season to ensure we have several shifts available during snow events and we always have fresh bodies that can be called in. In some instances, overtime may be required, but we try not to put any bodies in the equipment and on the airfield until the event actually starts. This allows our staff to wait and rest at the airport maintenance complex. That's where all the motor truck drivers and some of the laborers and others wait until we dispatch those teams. Our fleet mechanics do a tremendous job of keeping up with the units that go down during the events and they also ramp up their shifts during the snow season to ensure we have 24-hour coverage. Some of our equipment's getting pretty old (it's over 30 years old), yet we still see good productivity out of it. That's a testament to how well our fleet mechanics keep equipment maintained.
How do you keep equipment operational during an event?
We have mechanic teams out of the airfield that make minor repairs to the equipment during the event. If there is a significant issue, then that piece of equipment goes back to our airport maintenance complex where we have fleet mechanics ready to address more significant equipment issues. They work around the clock to make sure they get that equipment back up quickly.
What, in your opinion, are the elements of a well-planned snow removal program?
We believe that training and familiarity with the airfield and the equipment that is used is paramount to a successful snow operation. Our vehicle services division, comprised of our motor truck drivers, has tremendous camaraderie and embraces the important job that they have during winter operations. That is a dedicated snow removal team, meaning those drivers do this every year, so they're familiar with the work and they take a lot of pride in it. In addition, our operations staff, headed by George, is the nucleus of our snow removal program. They manage the entire process from the operations tower, which is an old FAA tower on the airfield. They have a senior person in the FAA tower and on the ground so they work very well in terms of coordination with all of the other divisions, the airlines, the FAA and our contractors. Practice has been made perfect here at O'Hare over the years.
What types of training and preparation do you do to ready personnel for the season ahead?
Every year we try to enhance our rigorous training program for all of our drivers, so they remain accustomed to the airfield, which is difficult because we're in the midst of the O'Hare Modernization Program or OMP. This program means new runways and taxiways are coming online literally every year. It’s important to keep up with changes on the airfield and, if we do buy new snow equipment, to learn that piece of snow equipment. In addition, we ensure that all of the equipment is in working order with any and all preventative maintenance procedures. We hire additional staff to assist with the snow removal program and have them go through both driver training and airfield familiarity training. We also regularly coordinate with the airlines, FAA and other stakeholders through regular standing meetings to ensure we're all aligned on the processes we're implementing during snow events. At these meetings, we address and discuss any issues or concerns and provide positive feedback and constructive criticism for ideas that work or don't work. Cooperation, coordination, just communication in general, is important for everybody out there on the airfield.
In addition, our vehicle services division has taken upon itself to continue its training. It has produced some really great videos on each individual piece of equipment to be able to go through the checklist on how to maintain and keep an eye on that piece of equipment as you prepare for and operate during a snow event. There are best practice videos, YouTube videos, PowerPoint presentations and manuals. They continue to watch those videos and have implemented a testing program in addition to the airfield driving program to make sure they're up to speed on the equipment.
What technologies and strategies are out there that help make your job a little easier than it was 15 years ago?
We rely on a mix of old and new technology. A more recent technology that we utilize is Aerobahn, which gives us an overview of all aircraft and equipment on the airfield at any given minute. This tool allows us to see where aircraft are staging and parked, and also helps us with the location of our snow teams so we can see which teams are available should we need to take a runway. This tool also helps us keep an eye on the three-hour tarmac rule. The Aerobahn tool has a nice program that shows how long the aircraft has been on the airfield since the doors closed. If we see that aircraft approaching the three-hour mark, we'll reach out to that airline operation personnel to confirm whether they need assistance from us before the rule is breached. We can send a stair truck or buses to deplane those passengers. We also have equipment that moves a little faster now. Our brooms can go up 40 mph, which allows us to clean the runways and the taxiways a little more efficiently.
