Definition
Airports for which the FAA's Time Based Flow Management (TBFM) system calculates and assigns specific arrival times to inbound aircraft, in order to space and sequence the traffic flow into the airport efficiently.
Plain English
An airport busy enough that the FAA uses a computer system to give each arriving aircraft a precise time to arrive, so planes flow in smoothly instead of bunching up.
Context Anchor
You may see this term in air traffic control and traffic management information for busy airports, especially when weather, runway limits, or heavy demand require controlled arrival timing.
Derivation
Metering' comes from 'meter,' meaning to measure out in regulated amounts. Just as a parking meter regulates time, traffic metering regulates the rate at which aircraft arrive — spacing them out rather than letting them all show up at once.
Why Pilots Care
Flights to these airports may receive assigned arrival times or experience delays that affect fuel planning and schedules.
Analogy
It is like a line of cars being released onto a busy road at timed intervals instead of all entering at once. The goal is a steady flow, not a traffic jam.
Intuition Check
“Metering” does not mean the airport is measuring distance or charging by a meter. Here it means regulating when aircraft arrive so the airport can handle the traffic safely and smoothly.
Example Sentence 1
Because the destination was a metering airport, the crew received a crossing time at the arrival fix and adjusted speed accordingly.
Example Sentence 2
Controllers applied metering procedures at the airport to keep arrivals evenly spaced during the evening rush.