Senate panel rejects air-traffic control privatization

[brooklynite]

Source: USA Today

Senators who decide how much to spend on the Federal Aviation Administration rejected Tuesday the Trump administration’s proposal to privatize air-traffic control.

The Senate Appropriations subcommittee for transportation and housing approved by voice vote a $60 billion bill, with $16.7 billion for FAA.

The senators joined their House counterparts in rejecting a proposal to move controllers from FAA to a non-profit corporation. But the decision isn't final because the Senate and House must still debate and resolve their differences before spending decisions become final, months from now.

The air-traffic control proposal is a top priority for airlines, which want more predictable funding to modernize equipment and training faster, for more efficient flights. But opponents in the Senate and House spending committees, and among rural lawmakers, worry that the corporation will be controlled by airlines without public oversight through Congress.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2017/07/25/senate-panel-rejects-air-traffic-control-privatization/508479001/

[Hekate]

1. Kick

[procon]

2. That wad a disaster nipped in the bud! nt

[Locrian]

3. I like your typo....

It certainly was a WAD of something!

[procon]

6. Touche! I blame the dang cat. nt

[bluevoter4life]

4. As a controller who vehemently disagrees with NATCA on this

Good. If the airlines all support this, how can we honestly believe they have the nuances of the ATC and NAS systems in mind?

[billh58]

10. And another long time

controller wholeheartedly agrees with you.

[jpak]

5. Good

n/t

[secondwind]

7. woo hoo! K&R

[haele]

8. With the amount of air travel in the U.S., it is preferrable to have the government run ATC.

I know other countries don't, but with the sheer number of planes in the air over major U.S. cities, I'd be hard pressed to trust a corporation that "answers to shareholders" hire and run the control towers, even if there's a government agency that will be providing oversight.

I suspect that most of the Senators have experienced "prime travel time" at major airports. Can you imagine flying if the government was running privatized ATC like the Privatized Prison system is run?

Haele

[Aristus]

9. "Hey, boss! Acme Air Traffic Dynamics, LLC offered me a better deal!

Give me a raise, or SW715 now on short-final goes into the tarmac nosefirst!"

That's what privatization would get us...