Some rest for the
weary.
The Federal Aviation
Administration has heeded the advice of an expert panel and will build in more
rest between shifts for its air traffic controllers.
The panel has
recommended less haphazard work schedules for air traffic controllers.
The panel was formed
in response to several close runway calls.
FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker
said he would require a minimum of 10 hours off between shifts and 12 hours
before a controller works a midnight shift.
“In my first few months at the helm
of the FAA, I toured air traffic control facilities around the country—and
heard concerns about schedules that do not always allow controllers to get
enough rest. With the safety of our controllers and national airspace always
top of mind for FAA, I took this very seriously – and we’re taking action. In December
2023, we commissioned an independent panel of scientific fatigue experts to
assess the risks introduced by controller fatigue in our system and to give us
a roadmap to mitigate the risks. The panel’s report brought into
focus key reforms which we’re implementing immediately to ensure air traffic
controllers are getting sufficient rest, while we also work to implement some
longer term, systemic changes. … I am also directing the Air Traffic Safety
Oversight Service to ensure the agency has a robust methodology to ensure
compliance with this direction. I understand this lengthened rest period will
be an adjustment for thousands of our air traffic controllers. We are committed
to engaging the workforce and our partners at the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association (NATCA) to prioritize health and well-being as
operations adapt. In addition to scheduling practices, growing the workforce
continues to be a top priority, and over the past two years we’ve pulled out
all of the stops to accelerate hiring. We are beginning to reverse the
decades-long shortage of air traffic controllers. Last year we reached our
hiring goal of 1,500 controllers, with an even bigger goal of 1,800 this year,
which we’re on track to meet. We’ve also expanded the training pipeline to
maximize recruitment. Getting more qualified individuals into our air traffic
facilities will help alleviate the demands on the current workforce. I
appreciate the panel’s time and expertise, and we are committed to a sustained
effort to address controller fatigue and ensure our airspace is the safest in
the world. These recommendations will significantly aid our efforts, providing
a roadmap for our agency. What’s more, as I always say, “safety is a team
sport” so we’re making the report public to enable other safety and workforce
experts to review the findings and share additional insights. I look
forward to working with our labor partners to implement these important changes,”
he said in a statement.
Many pull double shifts or work 6 days a week
Many air traffic controllers have had to work double
shifts due to attrition. That also includes working six days a week. And under current work rules, controllers can be
scheduled for duty as little as eight hours after the end of a previous shift.
The announcement came just one day
after a JetBlue plane and a Southwest Airlines flight were assigned to the same
runway at Reagan National and came within 500 feet of each other. One plane was
landing, and the other was taking off.
The National Air Traffic
Controllers Association said in a
statement “NATCA is concerned that with an already understaffed
controller workforce, immediate application of the Administrator’s new rules
may lead to coverage holes in air traffic facilities’ schedules. Requiring controllers to work
mandatory overtime to fill those holes would increase fatigue and make the new
policy nothing more than window dressing.”
The panel did not
propose a replacement scheduling model but gave the FAA nearly 60 items to work
on.
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