FAA furloughs kick in, some flight delays appear

I'm ATC. So you guys know, the mitigation plans have been designed and implemented above our heads, mostly.

For the nuts and bolts: The amount of airplanes we can take in any given control area is impacted by a few factors, the largest being the number of sectors/positions (staffing) open and the weather conditions. Studies on human fatigue show that the typical human being starts losing the ability to concentrate on complex tasks after about an hour of their performance and that ability starts decreasing even more quickly after two which is why reduced staffing levels impact us so harshly, unlike most tasks - within that two hours there is no room for a lapse in concentration, air traffic control is a hard job (but fun and rewarding too, if you can do it) - the cliche is that when it's slow is when bad things happen because people start feeling like they can relax.

When our 1-2 hours on positon is up we get a break that usually lasts between 15 and 30 minutes (the latter being for lunches). After our break we return to duty. In addition to overseeing the sector our frontline supervisors also manage our breaks and even step in to control traffic if needed, but that's not ideal because Controllers are paid to control and we take pride in our ability to do our job with professionalism, efficency and safety.

How enroute spacing works: The amount of airplanes that an area of sky (sector) can handle is based on a couple of factors: the type and number of airports and how they affect complexity and typical flow of traffic and how that affects complexity. Typically a few sectors will work together to "feed" one airport.

When our staffing falls below critical levels we actually loose the ability to open sectors and/or staff them fully, which greatly affects our ability to maximally utilize our airspace.

Exacerbating this problem is the fact that due to highly technical nature of Air Traffic Control work the FAA is still trying to recover from the PATCO strike. I've heard a rumor that over 50% of new hires are fired within thier first year of service because they simply fail to demonstrate they can do the job.

Anyways, the point of this post: the impact of the furlough is real. Due to the higly technical and intense nature of our work the national airspace system is very sensitive to staffing shortages, staffing shortages which existed before the furloughs started.

Also, I wanted to explain some of what we do because there seems to be some perception that we're purposely slowing things down. That couldn't be farther from the truth. In addition to the immense amount of pride instilled in the controller workforce and the constant competition twixt coworkers (we all want to be the best), we, by in large are filled with a sense of duty to the American flying public, and just like I did today, tomorrow I will show up for my shift, ready to work and just like today I will volunteer to sit on position and longer than is expected or required of me because it is my aim to help mitigate the affects of this furlough on my coworkers and the aforementioned flying public as much as possible. I took an oath, an oath I take very seriously and I work with 15,000 people who take that oath very seriously too. Make no mistake, no matter what the circumstance FAA controllers will show up to work, ready to work and we will do our best to make sure the system does not suffer no matter what the politics of the day are doing.

The FAA announced today that they will save $200 Million by September from these furloughs...while they spend $500 million for "Consultants" and $200 Million for "Travel". This is malfeasance at the highest level. It cannot be blamed on incompetence or outright stupidity.

Just noticing that there is a lot of hurt going on to what amounts as a 1% reduction in the budget increase.

This just in! NBC5 reports "significant flight diversions from DFW to DAL due to weather and staffing challenges."

Weather has never caused this before, but now they are calling it out. These two airfields, for those who do not know, are separated by less than 10nm. There is no way a plane can NOT land safely at DFW, but has no problem greasing it on damned near walking distance from the field (not with this weather). A cold front with drizzle moved in and they had to change the airport direction. Big friggin deal. Another stunt to send a message to congress.

How Union-like can you get? This little stunt just cost American some real money... Now they have to roll those engines back up to takeoff power just to fly a couple of miles west. Thousands of gallons, tens of thousands of dollars just to make a point. There's your malfeasance John.

We flew back from Boston this morning (4/22), and airliners were slowed to .74-.75 and turned off-course several miles do to entrail spacing along J-75 today. Some planes were having to descend to lower altitudes to maintain the slower mach speeds. Controller blamed the entrail spacing to furloughs for not enough staff at the scopes. We saw no such delays ourselves at Fl400 on J-48/J-22.

If these allegations are true, these ATC do not deserve a job. What ATC in their right mind would purposely compromise the integrity of the service they provide, just to prove some political point? That's the same as someone setting up a shooting at thier place of business, just to prove to their boss that they need a security system.

Old ATC guy enjoying the show... we did this in the 70s.... by the book traffic slowdown... lost my job in the 81 strike... no sour grapes.

Some flight Delay.... Yeah right... Had plenty of them today... Seeing alot of these messages... "DUE TO FAA STAFFING ACTION" and "ATC STAFFING"

What really ticks me off to no end is that not one time, not one single time, have I read in any publication online or in newsprint, that there's any consideration to cutting off the gravy train to these young people who continue to have babies without support from anybody but the public teat. Can anyone say "Sacred cow?" Cut the crap; take down the birdfeeder; make it financially impossible for these welfare riders to continue the way they're doing now. Include these cuts in the discussions and the budgets and then (and only then) will I believe that someone in the District is serious about budget cuts. If you cut off the free stuff, they'll change their ways. It's human nature. Yes, I know this is off-topic, but when we're talking about cutbacks in aviation/FAA it's a point I wanted to make...

This printed on the Boston Center printers last night. GROUND STOP-JFK-REASON STAFFING AT TOWER. I assure you, no manager would let that message go out if it was not legit. Paper trail and managers are notoriously timid of higher ups.

There is no reason for the holding patterns that looks like they were toughing a fit to get there money back.

My solution to sequestration and its effects on ATC. FAA should immediately do 2 things, first cut way back on the number of controllers at Regan and Dulles, secondly cut back on controllers at all red states major cities. They wanted it, they get it.

The East Coast suffered minimal delays as a result of this furlough. The delays reported in the days leading up to this were identical. This furlough has had no effect on the air traffic system......yet!

News seems to travel faster when in the spin cycle.

Another circus, how long before we all will have to jump threw hoops and bark like a dog to get on a commercial flight.

Hey Ya'll,
Day three of the furloughs and I wanted to respond to some of the stuff I've been seeing in response to my first post: thank you very much for taking the time to understand and respect the points I've made. Even though I'm not a union rep and therefore not authorized to speak about matters like this, I felt compelled to speak my mind and i find myself delighted by all of the positive responses I've seen. As such, I feel compelled to share more.

The first thing is this: I'm at a slower facility. As such I haven't been subject to the major impact a lot of the O'hare type facilities and such have.

That being said, our staffing is noticably reduced. Training has been impossible to accomplish, and we are supremely proud of the lack of impact there has been this week to the NAS in general... so far. We haven't had to hold a single arrival due to staffing. We haven't had to divert anyone and we haven't had to meter our flow, either.

As a matter of fact: our facility has suffered only one unscheduled bout of leave this week (so far) originating from a young man whose dad is couging up blood due to stage four cancer.

Our thoughts and prayers are with him, but I fully expect him to show up for work at 5:45 tomorrow morning to open the tower because we care about the flying public and our primary aim is to mitigate the impact to you.

We maybe pissy sometimes but believe me, we ATC view pilots as our teamates and we want nothing more than we want to get you guys climbing and on course as quickly as possible.


Re: a comment abot PATCO firings I read in this thread: the biggest variable has been the fact that thousands of controllers hit mandatory retire as a result of the mass hirings in 1982 and 1983. That's why we're hurting for staffing so bad. The planning may have been bad, too, but the other thing to consider is the fact that of the thousands of applicants maybe 10% are even given the opportunity to make it to the field (that number is pretty much pulled out fo nowhere, but of the people who take the ATSAP only those with 85%s or above are given the chance to actually go to academy (which is pass fail too)).

I wish the media would start reporting "sequestration" truthfully. THERE ARE NO BUDGET CUTS! There are decreases in the rate of increase in funding. No federal agency is losing money it already had or was going to get.

The Obama Administration has taken a bad situation and found a way to make it worse.

Looks like the AA pilots will get a taste of their own medicine. I reall months ago when it was THEM who created all kind of delays. Just hope they hold them at the gate so they don't get paid to wait.

Spot on, Mr. Wernicke! I am sure that the Dept. of Transportation could save the equivalent amount of money by cutting back on any number of less than essential (or even useless) programs/projects. Similarly, White House tours had to be cancelled but obviously it was essential that, several weeks later, the White House soul concert with Beyonce and Jay-Z simply HAD to go forward! This administration is leaving no stone unturned in inconveniencing the public to make political points. The problem is that they are also frustrating economic activity and, with the FAA, potentially endangering lives just so BHO can speechify.

Looks like the same as back in the Regan era when a bunch of them were fired. Would Obama do the same thing when it gets to the point where ALL flights are affected?

The country is Full of Airspace Controls at Terminal Junctions that are simply unnecessary. Both Pilots and controllers know it,the average taxpaying public does not. 100's of Towers still operate on a basis that somehow they are an absolute by the very fact that they exist.Reigning in second tier GA ATC has left Mom,Pop and Sally Joe fearful for the outcome...It just ain't so.

Looking at my Flight tracker real time display I see lots of flights from BOS-SEA, LGA-SEA, etc., are now flying more northerly over Canadian airspace, so it leaves me to wonder, if the cutback in the US FAA budget is part of the reason for this? These flights are usually over MN,ND,MT, ID, etc. on the way by where I am.

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

New York sees delays due to ATC cuts, but are they fake?

The New York City area airports of JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark are seeing considerable delays. However, it is looking like these delays are being manufactured to make a point to politicians.

http://bit.ly/15zydek

(Duplicate Squawk Submitted)

Turbulence Ahead: FAA ATC Cuts & Lufthansa Strike

The next weeks look like it's going to be a rough one for the airlines, with FAA Cuts taking effect and a planned Lufthansa Strike.

http://bit.ly/15sfOQj

Also in Italy and in Europe we are cutting a lot in the civil aviation dominio. It remains to safety first and they are not cutting back on workers, but they are cutting back on investment in general. Have been optimized shifts of workers to cut waste and duplication. for now what is being done to reduce the cost of the service is having good results hoping for a recovery in the short time the economy.

Can ATC function without full staffing? Yes. If a controller took five minutes for personal needs, others would fill the gap. You cannot ask people to work at that level all day. Today had mostly good weather across the nation, and being Sunday the schedule is somewhat reduced.

This is all about Pres. Obama (Eastwood's empty chair) playing chicken with the Republicans in the Congress. It is unfair for the President to put lives and pocketbooks at risk hoping the masses will rise up and compell Congress to do his bidding. I find community organizers entertaining in the way they dress socialism as desriable, but for Eastwood's empty chair to have a stranglehold on federal spending is offensive to any right thinking person. If money is truly short, Air Force One and all other aircraft at the disposal of the adminstration should be grounded for the duration. BHO can take a train if he needs to play gold.

Don't worry folks! The wealthy 1% will pay for everything and User Fees on those god awful coporate jets will fix all the FAAs problems! Dont you worry! Atleast thats what politicians want us to believe. I guess they think we're all idots!!

Delays are the norm here...what is not...is the continued flight schedules.
Why not cut back ? Where is the air safety factor....with less ATC's you would think!

Amazing how big government advocates (Obama and friends) will do anything to perpetuate Federal control over our lives. Funny how Obama's proposed budget for the FAA has less money than is currently available after sequester cuts. No current FAA prioritization is the reason for traveler delays. That and the hope to take the U.S House back in 2014 elections so we can have more Federal stimulus and more great programs like Obamacare. Let's get real on what is truly causing delays at the airports.!

FAA on strike PATCO was right.

Funny, my post seems to have vanished. To sum it up again - Obozo could cancel his and his wife's vacations for the year and have enough left over to pay for the controllers. Nuf said.