Drunk and Asleep on the Job: Air Traffic Controllers Pushed to the Brink

[milestogo]

A nationwide shortage of controllers has resulted in an exhausted and demoralized work force that is increasingly prone to making dangerous mistakes.
Dec. 2, 2023
Updated 7:56 a.m. ET

One air traffic controller went into work drunk this summer and joked about “making big money buzzed.” Another routinely smoked marijuana during breaks. A third employee threatened violence and then “aggressively pushed” a colleague who was directing airplanes. The incidents were extreme examples, but they fit into a pattern that reveals glaring vulnerabilities in one of the most important protective layers of the nation’s vaunted aviation safety system.

In the past two years, air traffic controllers and others have submitted hundreds of complaints to a Federal Aviation Administration hotline describing issues like dangerous staffing shortages, mental health problems and deteriorating buildings, some infested by bugs and black mold. There were at least seven reports of controllers sleeping when they were on duty and five about employees working while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The New York Times obtained summaries of the complaints through an open-records request.

Air traffic controllers, who spend hours a day glued to monitors or scanning the skies with the lives of thousands of passengers at stake, are a last line of defense against crashes. The job comes with high stakes and intense pressure, even in the best of conditions. Yet the conditions for many controllers are far from ideal. A nationwide staffing shortage — caused by years of employee turnover and tight budgets, among other factors — has forced many controllers to work six-day weeks and 10-hour days. The result is a fatigued, distracted and demoralized work force that is increasingly prone to making mistakes, according to a Times investigation. The findings are based on interviews with more than 70 current and former air traffic controllers, pilots and federal officials, as well as thousands of pages of federal safety reports and internal F.A.A. records that The Times obtained.

While the U.S. airspace is remarkably safe, potentially dangerous close calls have been happening, on average, multiple times a week this year, The Times reported in August. Some controllers say they fear that a deadly crash is inevitable. In the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, there were 503 air traffic control lapses that the F.A.A. preliminarily categorized as “significant,” 65 percent more than in the prior year, according to internal agency reports reviewed by The Times. During that period, air traffic increased about 4 percent.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/business/air-traffic-controllers-safety.html

[Think. Again.]

1. Is it the airports themselves...

...that actually hire Traffic Control staff? Surely they want to avoid the expense of accidents at their airports (let's not pretend businesses like that are concerned about people over profit).

This seems like an odd story to me, why would there be a shortage of staff in a highly paid, albiet stressful, profession such as this?

[cloudbase]

2. The airports don't hire ATC.

Postings are assigned by the FAA. They may offer a choice of postings, if available.

[Think. Again.]

3. Thanks! I didn't know that...

...and I think the FAA is under Buttigieg's Dept. of Transportation.

I wonder if budgetting for this is being held back by congress...(?)

It just doesn't seem like an insurmountable problem to me, and we've been hearing about these kinds of problems for years. Something seems off about it all.

[milestogo]

4. There are staffing shortages in a lot of high-stress professions.

I'm not sure what all the reasons are. But if you feel the need to take drugs or drink on the job, this is not the job for you.

[maspaha]

5. Air Traffic Controllers

These should be very highly trained and highly paid positions and IMO haven’t been given due respect since Reagan fired striking controllers in the ‘80’s.

They used to gain experience in smaller general aviation oriented airports and then move on to bigger, busier airports. The controllers working at the airports are like jugglers. I have personally had to clarify instructions given by approach control that I believed would conflict with other aircraft during low visibility approaches. It was because the controller was so busy they mis-spoke while clearing us for the next point in our approach.

Because of the job stress, air traffic controllers have a mandatory retirement age of 56. If fact, you must be under 31 to even apply to be an air traffic controller.

My guess is the republicans want to starve the system until one, or more catastrophic accidents occur then claim government doesn’t work and privatize ATC.