Unusually Severe Weather Isn't Solely To Blame For Delays, Union Says

As he prepares for his impending move out-of-state, ANN Managing Editor Rob Finfrock has been spending a lot of time planewatching at his favorite airport, Addison (ADS), in the eastern portion of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex... and lately, he's been hearing a lot of interesting exchanges between controllers, and planes waiting to takeoff. The typical exchange goes something like this...

"Addison tower, Widget 123, ready for departure at 15."

"Widget 123, Addison tower, hold short, standby for IFR release."

Minutes go by...

"Addison, Widget 123, how much longer will it be?"

"Widget 123, departure's been running about 20 minutes behind today, standby and I'll give them a call."

At 25 minutes since the first call, the pilot -- obviously impatient, though also realizing it doesn't pay to shoot the messenger -- again radios the tower.

"Addison, Widget 123 will have to shut down an engine here if it's going to be much longer."

"Understood, Widget 123," the sympathetic controller replies. "You're currently tenth in line with departure."

While the unusually severe weather so far this year in DFW can be blamed for many of those delays -- as well as similar storms at several destination airports throughout the nation -- the National Air Traffic Controllers Association tells ANN a worsening shortage of air traffic controllers at several facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is also contributing to increasing headaches.

Here is a snapshot look at several facilities' staffing situation, according to NATCA:

DFW Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON)

The union says there are currently 68 fully certified controllers on staff, along with 14 in training, including three with military controller experience. Combined with two controllers currently out on extended medical leave, that makes 84 on staff. Controllers believe there should be 117, the number the union says the FAA agreed was needed to safely and efficiently run the facility before the agency "arbitrarily" replaced it in March with a new range of 83 to 101.

NATCA says the lower number has resulted in increased usage of overtime by FAA management officials to desperately try and fill the positions. From January through mid-August, the FAA is slated to use $444,000 worth of overtime to cover for a lack of staffing, according to the union... and of the 68 controllers working today, 80 percent now are forced to work OT.

At least five certified controllers are posed to retire in 2007, NATCA adds, with another 10 or so in 2008. In that time, two trainees are scheduled to come online.

DFW Tower

There are 44 fully certified controllers on staff, along with seven trainees, according to NATCA, for a total of 51 total -- eight short of what NATCA and the FAA agreed was needed, prior to the March announcement. Today, the FAA says a range of 47 to 57 controllers can do the job at DFW.

The facility expects to welcome 14 new trainees in the next seven months. However, NATCA expects that the tower will lose one fully trained controller to a supervisor position next month in Memphis, and as many as six more controllers will retire by January. Additionally, two or three supervisor positions are expected to open up in January, and the union says the FAA will likely pull from the controller ranks to replace those spots.

Fort Worth ARTCC

The Fort Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center currently has 290 fully certified controllers on board, and 65 more in training. The FAA originally said there should be 379 controllers at the facility, NATCA says, before the agency reduced that number to between 238 and 290. NATCA maintains those reduced levels are not adequate for the facility, as evidenced by the fact that two of the seven different areas of airspace handled in the facility are currently experiencing staffing problems due to retirements.

As an example, in one of the two short-staffed areas, former staffing numbers based on traffic required 11 controllers. But local FAA managers have had to do away with that number and are routinely staffing 10 positions in the area with seven controllers, according to NATCA. This is accomplished by combining sectors of airspace, resulting in controllers forced to work more than one sector at a time. In addition, during recent high traffic periods due to adverse spring weather, these short-staffed areas have not had controllers available to assist controllers experiencing high workloads when that assistance would allow the sector to remain manageable.

Between now and the end of September, as many as 10 to 15 controllers will either retire or be promoted to supervisor positions left vacant by retirements, further exacerbating the staffing problem, according to NATCA. Additionally, the facility was averaging one operational error per week for the past couple of months as a result of fewer controllers looking after more airplanes.

Dallas Love Field Tower

The tower currently has 18 fully certified controllers on staff, down from a high of 30. There are three new hires on board and two controllers in training that came to the tower from other fully certified positions elsewhere. One prospective job candidate with a military controller background recently rejected the FAA’s job offer.

NATCA says there is word perhaps as many as four new trainees may arrive by September; however, the facility has lost four certified controllers to retirement so far this year and a fifth has announced intentions to retire in October. In January, nine more controllers will be eligible to retire, according to NATCA.

The union believes 24 is the correct amount of controllers needed to safely staff the facility. The FAA says a range of 19 to 23 can do the job.

FMI: www.natca.org, www.dfwairport.com, www.dallas-lovefield.com, www.faa.gov