Newark (EWR) meltdown.
- Thread starter edyvw
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This is a largely FAA failure.
New York air traffic control is staffed at about 55%. The direct result of the FAA imposing several lockdown procedures during COVID that basically froze hiring and training. That made a bad situation worse.
This staffing shortage isn’t new and isn’t a surprise.
This is from testimony from 2016: “…Assistant Inspector General stated that FAA recently introduced a new process for hiring controllers but lacked an effective implementation strategy for the new policies…” it goes on to say hiring requires senior administrators’ direct attention.
And this, following testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, this year: “David Spero, president of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union that represents 11,000 FAA technical employees and inspectors, derided the agency for failing to commit to improving its staffing models and working with his organization to better plan for the future.
So, as the result of ongoing FAA ineptitude - we are at 55% staffing and worse, over half are still trainees.
Imagine trying to run any business with a third of the trained employees you need. That’s why the FAA was canceling so many flights.
Ironically, the Secretary of Transportation blamed the weather for the FAA’s problems.
Not long after publicly criticizing airlines, saying they can’t use weather as an excuse….
New York air traffic control is staffed at about 55%. The direct result of the FAA imposing several lockdown procedures during COVID that basically froze hiring and training. That made a bad situation worse.
This staffing shortage isn’t new and isn’t a surprise.
This is from testimony from 2016: “…Assistant Inspector General stated that FAA recently introduced a new process for hiring controllers but lacked an effective implementation strategy for the new policies…” it goes on to say hiring requires senior administrators’ direct attention.
And this, following testimony before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, this year: “David Spero, president of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, a union that represents 11,000 FAA technical employees and inspectors, derided the agency for failing to commit to improving its staffing models and working with his organization to better plan for the future.
So, as the result of ongoing FAA ineptitude - we are at 55% staffing and worse, over half are still trainees.
Imagine trying to run any business with a third of the trained employees you need. That’s why the FAA was canceling so many flights.
Ironically, the Secretary of Transportation blamed the weather for the FAA’s problems.
Not long after publicly criticizing airlines, saying they can’t use weather as an excuse….
Well, at 55% nothing can run properly. Add sick leave, maternity etc.
Weather thing is becoming seriously old. I mean, yes, it can make things worse, but not being root cause.
Weather thing is becoming seriously old. I mean, yes, it can make things worse, but not being root cause.
We've only been through Newark twice and that was fifteen years ago when the incumbent carrier was Continental.
FWIU, Newark is heavily scheduled and any little niggle can induce massive delays.
Current FAA ATC staffing surely doesn't help, but any bit of weather seems to result in massive delays, which cascades into missed connections downstream and cancellations as aircraft fail to arrive and crews time out.
On our second trip through, our connecting flight home was cancelled due to weather and we ended up on a US Air CRJ out of LaGuardia the next morning. Not a disaster as we were able to get a room at a Marriott (I think it was) across the field. They had a room as well as food and a bar, so we had a decent meal, a couple of drinks and a good night's sleep and shuttled over to LGA the following morning.
As an aside, if you can't afford food and lodging to accommodate the unexpected, then you probably can't afford to travel.
It's only happened to us a couple of times in the past couple of decades, but there is no way wife and I are spending the night in a terminal.
FWIU, Newark is heavily scheduled and any little niggle can induce massive delays.
Current FAA ATC staffing surely doesn't help, but any bit of weather seems to result in massive delays, which cascades into missed connections downstream and cancellations as aircraft fail to arrive and crews time out.
On our second trip through, our connecting flight home was cancelled due to weather and we ended up on a US Air CRJ out of LaGuardia the next morning. Not a disaster as we were able to get a room at a Marriott (I think it was) across the field. They had a room as well as food and a bar, so we had a decent meal, a couple of drinks and a good night's sleep and shuttled over to LGA the following morning.
As an aside, if you can't afford food and lodging to accommodate the unexpected, then you probably can't afford to travel.
It's only happened to us a couple of times in the past couple of decades, but there is no way wife and I are spending the night in a terminal.
Amtrak is no better! Had a 6 hour detour though Northern Nebraska last month. Tracks hadn't seen The California Zephyr in a century I bet. All the locals were out taking movies.... The tracks got washed out somewhere west of Grand Island, NE.
Then canceled the return train trip to fly home. Got two fights canceled and ended up sleeping in the Dallas/Ft Worth airport for the night and half the next day.
Then canceled the return train trip to fly home. Got two fights canceled and ended up sleeping in the Dallas/Ft Worth airport for the night and half the next day.
EWR is one of the worst airports to exist. The NYC area airports have a problem that they are so land-locked, there is no room to expand, but I still rather fly JFK than EWR.
Good luck with a flight leaving on time at EWR.
Good luck with a flight leaving on time at EWR.
Part of the problem with NYC airports is that there is only so much airspace to go around between three busy airports.
EWR, LGA and JFK are pretty close together in miles so any bad weather has a synergistic effect in causing arrival and departure delays for each of them. I find LGA and JFK to be no better than EWR and JFK is in some ways worse. Any way you look at it, any of these NYC area airports are gonna suck under anything less than CAVU conditions.
EWR, LGA and JFK are pretty close together in miles so any bad weather has a synergistic effect in causing arrival and departure delays for each of them. I find LGA and JFK to be no better than EWR and JFK is in some ways worse. Any way you look at it, any of these NYC area airports are gonna suck under anything less than CAVU conditions.
It’s a Marriott in EWR. I’ve stayed there a few hundred times. Very good hotel. Unbeatable location. Particularly when things go sideways.
Pre-pandemic, I stayed there so often, that when I called the front desk, I would recognize the clerk by their voice alone.
If things start to go sideways that particular hotel fills up quickly.
I would book a room there a couple days out, just in case, when the EWR weather was looking sketchy. I would also fly (and sometimes drive) up a day before my assignment if the weather looked iffy, and hang out at EWR Marriott.
Pre-pandemic, I stayed there so often, that when I called the front desk, I would recognize the clerk by their voice alone.
If things start to go sideways that particular hotel fills up quickly.
I would book a room there a couple days out, just in case, when the EWR weather was looking sketchy. I would also fly (and sometimes drive) up a day before my assignment if the weather looked iffy, and hang out at EWR Marriott.
Coincidentally, I was flying in that airspace yesterday as a law enforcement flight, so this is very different than airline ops. When I'm flying one of these missions, ATC gets zero warning--bad guys have no firm schedules it seems, so we tend to pop up wherever, whenever. Anyway, yesterday was a good VFR day in NYC and from my perspective, everything ran great. We were there for about three hours and talked to half a dozen different controllers as we flew through different control sectors. The controllers were awesome!
In airspace as dense as NYC, I almost feel bad making my initial callup--I envision a frazzled controller doing a palm-slap to his / her forehead when they hear our callsign! Anyway, all I got yesterday was complete professionalism from all of the controllers I interacted with, and they were extremely busy the entire time our mission lasted. Our mission objectives changed a few times, requiring altitude, direction and location changes, often-times abruptly--ATC didn't miss a beat.
I'm not saying airlines don't have difficulties there. . . . this is more about giving kudos to the controllers there who are working a challenging, high-repsonsibility job while short-staffed and still maintain their professionalism. I sincerely hope the staffing issues get sorted out soon.
In airspace as dense as NYC, I almost feel bad making my initial callup--I envision a frazzled controller doing a palm-slap to his / her forehead when they hear our callsign! Anyway, all I got yesterday was complete professionalism from all of the controllers I interacted with, and they were extremely busy the entire time our mission lasted. Our mission objectives changed a few times, requiring altitude, direction and location changes, often-times abruptly--ATC didn't miss a beat.
I'm not saying airlines don't have difficulties there. . . . this is more about giving kudos to the controllers there who are working a challenging, high-repsonsibility job while short-staffed and still maintain their professionalism. I sincerely hope the staffing issues get sorted out soon.
The United CEO addresses the delays. 
www.politico.com
United Airlines CEO warns of more weather delays as climate warms
United took significantly longer to recover than other airlines from the same set of storms.
www.politico.com
Why the shortage of air traffic controllers ?
Poor FAA planning to recruit, train and hire them ?
More of them retiring at a faster pace than expected ?
Its a high stress job and some people might not want the responsibilities for the pay.
Poor FAA planning to recruit, train and hire them ?
More of them retiring at a faster pace than expected ?
Its a high stress job and some people might not want the responsibilities for the pay.
He's a total failure on every level.
It's scary that so many people thought he would be a good President....
No one of the biggest issues is how the hiring training and testing is completed. I live near a large faa center, and know a few controllers. They won't hire over 30 if memory serves me, and you get one shot at the exam. If you don't pass on the first try you don't get to be an atc. It's the government shooting themselves in the foot.
I personally know of a few who found themselves unemployed during the recent crisis. For not playing "ball" with regard to the related medical treatment plan. They remain unemployed and more healthy than my wife.
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Same problem up here in Canada.
Any travel disruption caused by the airlines results in fines but not when Nav Canada or airports ( all big airports owned and leased out by the government ) cause problems ( short staffed, etc ).
All you read in the news are anti airline stories but never anything about ATC delays or cancellations caused by Nav Canada.
This is not a complaint about controllers, I have total respect for them.
As an Airline Captain, I make it a point to make sure passengers know exactly why the flight is delayed and who is responsible ( airline, airports, ATC ).
Any travel disruption caused by the airlines results in fines but not when Nav Canada or airports ( all big airports owned and leased out by the government ) cause problems ( short staffed, etc ).
All you read in the news are anti airline stories but never anything about ATC delays or cancellations caused by Nav Canada.
This is not a complaint about controllers, I have total respect for them.
As an Airline Captain, I make it a point to make sure passengers know exactly why the flight is delayed and who is responsible ( airline, airports, ATC ).
My brother was trying to persuade his 25 year old daughter to become an ATC.
Problem is she has the attention span of a 12 year old and snowflake personality can NOT handle stress. She would have washed out within the first few weeks of training. I had a good laugh when he told me he is trying to get her to think about the ATC career field…… or police. LOL.
Many smart people with college degree can’t handle stress.
Maybe FAA can recruit more ATC from military and nice sign-on bonuses…. ?
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