Air Traffic Controllers Condemn FAA Cuts

Air traffic controllers in Dallas and other cities are condemning a Federal Aviation Administration push to reduce significantly the number of controllers.

The plan, which would reduce the number of controllers around the country by 10 percent, has been criticized for the impact it could have on safety, often leaving a single controller on duty at a time, The New York Times reported Wednesday.

Pat Forrey, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said having only one air traffic controller on duty "degrades the safety net," by "not having another set of eyes and ears."

Michael Conely, president of the union in Dallas, said "you can't staff all the positions properly" with the number of controllers currently scheduled at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

"You are on position longer, watching more airplanes, and it becomes a tired-eye syndrome," Conely said.

Conely and others have also questioned the FAA's motives for its new mandatory dress code.

"It's absolutely a power thing," he said. "They want to show they're in charge and this is how we're going to do it and if you don't like it quit."

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