The Federal Aviation Administration maintains four core databases that are used to produce the operational metrics that are tracked and reported in order to manage and improve FAA efficiency. The Aviation System Performance Metrics (ASPM) database is the most comprehensive flight database with key event times and operational information necessary for producing most performance measures. The OPSNET database contains FAA imposed delay, often at the flight level. Flight Trajectory contains key event times extracted from archived flight plan messages as well as from flight position data. Fuel Burn data is provided by the airlines for key city pairs and is used to meet congressional requirements to evaluate fuel trends experienced by the airline industry.

ASPM constitutes the most comprehensive flight level database used for performance analysis within FAA.It contains a host of key event times including actual, scheduled as well as the airline reported gate and runway times. It also synthesizes key times from the traffic flow management system and links flight level information from the National Traffic Management Log (NTML).

OPSNET provides the official source for traffic operations and reportable delay. Reportable delay includes the causal information such as the constrained facility, the reason for delay (weather, equipment, runways etc.) and the traffic management initiative employed in delaying the aircraft.

Flight Trajectory database is used for performance measures that assess if flights are obtaining more efficient trajectories or if problem areas are emerging. The flight level data compares actual trajectories to both direct flight or a best achieved flight. In response to congressional request, the flight level data also tracks continuous ascent and continuous descent operations.

Fuel Burn database contains per flight fuel consumption data for select city pairs. The data is provided on a voluntary basis by airlines and air cargo operators in response to a congressional requirement, and is used to analyze the operational performance of the NAS and the benefits of operational improvements.