NATCA in the News: House T&I Aviation Subcommittee Hearing

After he testified for more than three hours in a hearing before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee on March 4, NATCA President Nick Daniels took some questions from the media. The following are highlights of coverage from those interviews.

WTTG-TV (FOX 5 DC): President Daniels spoke about NATCA members’ essential work, stating, “…the safety of the system is on the backs of the air traffic controllers.”

WUSA-TV (CBS 9 DC): President Daniels provided a chilling analogy for equipment failures controllers routinely face, saying “If you were to be driving down the road at 70 miles an hour and I was sitting behind you and I covered your eyes when you weren’t ready and said keep driving, that’s what it’s like for an air traffic controller to either lose communications or lose radar in a moment’s notice.”

Reuters: President Daniels stated, “These dedicated professionals continue to work short-staffed, often six days a week, 10 hours a day for years at a time, using outdated equipment and in run-down facilities that are in many cases more than 60 years old.”

CNN: The network covered how the firing of probationary employees adds more stress to the jobs of air traffic controllers. In this news item, President Daniels stated, “Air traffic controllers deal and have to manage stress, day in and day out. Anything that adds to that, any uncertainty, is what brings an added risk that has to be evaluated into the system.”

CNBC: President Daniels stated, “Air traffic controller staffing is down about 9% from 2012, while air travel demand has hit records.”

Poltico Pro: Their article warns of the negative impacts government shutdowns have on our workforce. President Daniels stated, “The air traffic controllers cannot take another hit right now…Not only do controllers have to work without pay during a shutdown, the FAA Academy that trains new crops of controllers would close its doors, disrupting classes…Even a one-day shutdown puts us months behind.”