Trouble in the air: Air traffic control furloughs begin
Today is not likely to be a great day to fly.
Lufthansa is on strike (see separate story); El Al is on strike (see separate story); and 10% of US air traffic controllers are on furlough.
In the US, the head of the Federal Aviation Administration warned that travelers should expect delays this week as the FAA begins furloughs of its staff in keeping with federal budget cuts.
Last night’s delays in New York were attributed to bad weather, but the furloughs were to blame for delays of up to three hours in Los Angeles.
FAA chief Michael Huerta told a Senate committee on Thursday that the furloughs, which began yesterday, will affect one out of three flights and slow air traffic across the nation.
Still, Huerta said, cuts to the FAA’s budget have left him no choice but to cut the number of air traffic controllers on duty at any one time by 10%.
Each of the FAA’s 15,000 controllers is scheduled for unpaid furlough one day every two weeks from April 21 to September 30.
Huerta said that to maintain safety with a smaller staff, it will be necessary to slow operations.
An FAA study released March 29 projected delays from 10 minutes to 3 hours, including: 10 to 67 minutes in Los Angeles, 50 to 132 minutes in Chicago, 30 to 80 minutes at New York LaGuardia, and 12 to 50 minutes at New York JFK.
Meanwhile, Airlines for America, which represents the airlines, joined the Air Line Pilots Association and the Regional Airline Association in a lawsuit filed in Washington Friday to block the furlough plan.
The suit claims the FAA could find other ways to save money without jeopardizing the nation’s air service.
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