Danger in the Skies Not Limited to Terrorist Threats (Bush & co policy)

[Omaha Steve]

Full story: http://blog.aflcio.org/2006/08/13/danger-in-the-skies-not-limited-to-terrorist-threats/

Organizing & Bargaining, Bush & Co.

Aug 13

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Danger in the Skies Not Limited to Terrorist Threats

As air travelers focus their attention on safety threats by potential terrorists, there’s another concern for all of us who travel through the nation’s airports: Air traffic is growing, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) refuses to hire sufficient controllers to handle the increased traffic.

At Denver International Airport (DIA), air traffic controllers handled a record number of takeoffs and landings Aug 4. They moved 2,013 airplanes with a workforce that has been slashed by one-third since the new airport opened in 1995 and was handling just about 1,350 departures and arrivals a day.

Mike Coulter, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) local representing workers at DIA, says the volume of air traffic into and out of Denver trails only that of Chicago and Atlanta and is expected to grow even more. But the Denver air controller workforce could shrink even further, Coulter says:

When DIA opened in 1995, DIA had 49 controllers working an average of 1,350 departures and arrivals per day. Now we are working record numbers of aircraft with only 33 controllers. Of those, seven are already eligible to retire, with another nine becoming eligible by the end of next year.

The growth of air traffic through Denver, accompanied by fewer and fewer controllers, is part of a national trend. Aviation experts say the current shortage of controllers will soon worsen because about 25 percent of the workforce will be eligible to retire within the next year, and air traffic will continue to increase.

Coulter says many controllers are expected to head out the door—driven by the already heavy workload caused by a shortage of personnel.

Sometimes, we just don’t have enough people. In the past, during busy times, we’d have four on position. Now if there aren’t enough people, we’ll just keep two of them open and just work more airplanes.

Outgoing NATCA President John Carr describes the FAA’s inaction more bluntly, saying the agency has “gutted the system like a deer, leaving facilities without the equipment, facilities or people to get the job done.”