Danger in the Skies Not Limited to Terrorist Threats

by Mike Hall, Aug 13, 2006

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 [unstaffed] 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.”

(Newly elected Pat Forrey takes the reins at NATCA on Sept. 1.)

In addition, eligible controllers may chose retirement because of the FAA’s decision this spring to halt negotiations on a new contract with NATCA and impose a contract that cuts pay for current and future controllers by as much as 30 percent, reduces pensions and imposes new restrictive workplace rules.

A July editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer noted:

…jamming a contract down the controller’s throat now could lead many to retire early. That would put a critical controller shortage on course to become even worse.

In June, a large majority of the House of Representatives voted to require the FAA to  resume negotiations. But the 271–148 vote fell short of the two-thirds required by House rules under which it was considered. Despite broad support for the measure, a veto threat by President Bush and political payback threatened by two extreme right-wing groups stymied passage. A Senate bill (S. 3763) remains in play.

Back in Denver, Coulter says that despite the heavy workload, overtime and short staffing:

We have had only one error in the past four years at DIA out of more than 3 million operations. That is an amazing record by anyone’s standard. Credit needs to be given to the fine men and women who keep the skies over Denver safe every day, under difficult circumstances….Yet, we are getting older, and the FAA needs to start bringing in replacements  before it’s too late.  There are only so many airplanes you can work with this number of controllers.

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