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Building A Safer And More Effective Air Traffic Control System, Policy Study

File Language:
English


Details

  • Creators:
    Poole, Robert W.
  • Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Resource Type:
    Journal Article
  • Geographical Coverage:
    United States
  • TRIS Online Accession Number:
    00618749
  • Corporate Publisher:
    Reason Public Policy Institute
  • Abstract:
    The U.S. air traffic control (ATC) system is failing to keep pace with the needs of commercial aviation. Airline traffic has increased by 68% since deregulation. But the workforce is one-third smaller in relation to traffic levels than before the 1981 controllers' strike, and the computers, radars, and other equipment are generally outdated and unreliable. According to the Department of Transportation, extensive delays are being experienced that cost airlines and passengers some $5 billion a year. Also, two recent airport collisions resulted from ATC deficiencies. The fundamental problem is that the ATC organization is crippled by being part of a governmental agency (the Federal Aviation Administration). Spinning off ATC to a user-funded, user-owned nonprofit corporation would solve some problems, such as civil service rules that prevent the FAA from paying enough to attract sufficient experienced controllers to high-stress points, and federal procurement regulations that delay needed equipment upgrades for many years. Direct user fees would make funds available quickly and efficiently to upgrade the system to state-of-the-art technology, and the corporation could pay whatever was needed to attract sufficient numbers of experienced personnel to its critical facilities. The result would be a safer, more efficient ATC system, able to keep pace with a growing, competitive aviation industry.
  • Format:
    PDF
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha256:5d92f1b6228c09d7ff19bc441446a7d7f06a07d3eb04c73a30abada16c051e58
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 487.83 KB ]
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