Fatigue, Short Staffs ‘Recipe for Disaster’ in Summer Flying Season

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/05/08/fatigue-short-staffs-recipe-for-disaster-in-summer-flying-season/

by James Parks, May 8, 2008

With the busy summer travel season fast approaching, the nation’s air traffic controllers are alerting the public that a combination of short-staffing, fatigue and faulty equipment in control towers is a “recipe for disaster.”

Just this week, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) issued warnings about several near misses at two of the country’s major airports—Atlanta and Cincinnati. In Atlanta, the world’s busiest airport, the number of incidents when planes have gotten too close has already exceeded last year’s total—and the situation is getting worse. In Cincinnati, three such serious incidents have occurred in the past six weeks.



The problem is the same in Cincinnati and throughout the nation’s airway system: Controllers are being forced to work long overtime hours, creating dangerous controller fatigue. At the same time, experienced controllers are retiring early rather than dealing with draconian work rules imposed by the Bush administration’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The result: a staffing crisis. Says NATCA President Patrick Forrey:

Their recklessness toward the safety of the flying public and their morale-breaking treatment of the controller workforce is disturbing—but not at all surprising. Controllers have been working under imposed work rules for 20 months now, and the FAA has yet to realize or attempt to remedy the devastating effects that this controller attrition has and will play on the safety of the flying public.

Now, the FAA is considering canceling vacation time for controllers this summer travel season to deal with short-staffing, which will deprive controllers of the breaks they so desperately need away from this grueling job. This is a recipe for disaster.

After the FAA refused to bargain a contract with the controllers, and in September 2006, unilaterally imposed new work rules, an already short-handed controller force, rather than work under the conditions, began shrinking even further as workers eligible to retire began leaving. Younger controllers and trainees also began leaving at increased rates. That’s meant more forced overtime and fewer breaks and shorter breaks each shift for the remaining controllers.

FULL story at link.