Southwest Airlines is so impressed with Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology it's willing to spend $175 million to upgrade its fleet.
Taking the current GPS navigation system to the next level, RNP is so exact it reduces the separation needed between planes in the air and that can lead to more direct routes. It even allows for more planes to land in bad weather.
In the end, the goal of RNP is to reduce delays. "Anything that helps is great," says one traveler.
Southwest hopes the investment will pay off -- the precision of RNP technology should save the airlines millions of dollars each year on fuel.
Many European airlines are already using RNP, the FAA is hopeful more airlines here in the United States will invest in the new technology. It wants the entire aviation system to be using RNP by 2025.
Southwest is ahead of that goal; it hopes to have it's entire fleet using RNP by the end of next year.
