"I'm not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we've had a situation where we're taking these kinds of measures,"
"We're in new territory in terms of government shutdowns."
"What we're finding is that our air traffic controllers, because of the financial pressures at home, are taking side jobs. They need to put food in the table, gas in the car, pay their bills,"
"We do not want to see disruptions at the FAA or here at [the Department of Transportation]. We don't want that. But our number one priority is to make sure when you travel, you travel safely."
FAA plans a 10% reduction in air traffic at 40 airports to maintain safety during the government shutdown. Five California airports — Los Angeles International, Ontario, San Diego, Oakland and San Francisco — are targeted for cuts. Thousands of flights nationwide are likely to be canceled. Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since Oct. 1, producing fatigue and staffing pressures. Some controllers have taken side jobs to cover expenses. Transportation officials framed the reductions as preemptive safety measures, and the National Transportation Safety Board chair supported the decision as risk mitigation.
Read at Los Angeles Times
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]