Due to the natural compression of aircraft decelerating in preparation for landing, current-day air traffic control operations in terminal areas are characterized by several clearances, including speed instructions and heading vectors. These operations often create excess spacing between consecutive aircraft, which adds an extra buffer to the safety margin, but reduces the number of aircraft that can land at an airport over a period of time. Having aircraft equipped with advanced cockpit tools that can utilize Airborne Separation Assistance System (ASAS) clearances like 'merge-behind-then-follow' could increase system performance by minimizing in-trail spacing buffers. Providing air traffic controllers with Decision Support Tools (DSTs) that accommodate such a strategy could further improve system performance. In August 2004, NASA Ames Research Center conducted a simulation of ASAS operations. Analyses of the simulation data suggest that airborne spacing and merging operations are acceptable to controllers and reduce excess spacing between aircraft.

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