Controller shortage hurt LAX

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The Daily Breeze

Thursday, October 04, 2007
Controller shortage hurt LAX
Air-traffic agency blames lack of staffers for the increase in runway mistakes.
By Art Marroquin
Staff Writer

A shortage in air-traffic controllers led to 55 so-called runway incursions reported at Los Angeles International Airport since October 2001, eight of which occurred in the past year, according to a study released this week.

An understaffed control tower at LAX means longer work hours and more duties for fatigued air-traffic controllers, leading to an increased likelihood for serious mistakes on the runway, according to a report by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

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However, Federal Aviation Administration officials argued that the runway incursions reported at LAX were not related to alleged staffing shortages in the control tower. "Most runway incursions are due to pilot error," said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman. "Even though some can be attributed to controller error, none of those controller errors were caused by insufficient staffing levels." The issue has become so heated that the FAA and the union can't even agree how many employees are working in the LAX tower, which is authorized for up to 47 air-traffic controllers.

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The FAA declared an impasse when talks with the controllers' union turned sour, then imposed a contract that went into effect in September 2006. Congress, which was dominated by Republicans at the time, did not intervene in the matter. The Bush administration has threatened to veto the FAA reauthorization bill if it forces the agency back to the bargaining table. NATCA claims that about 800 experienced air-traffic controllers have retired over the imposed contract, saying they do not want to work for an employer that refuses to give them a raise as the number of flights continues to go up nationwide.

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