Schumer Raps FAA for Flight Delays

The three major area airports have been experiencing a record number of flight delays this past year because of a spat between the Federal Aviation Administration and air traffic controllers that has stranded millions of travelers for hours, Sen. Charles Schumer said yesterday.

Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the delays have been caused by a combination of too few controllers and increased traffic. And he said he expects the problems to get worse this summer.

"For passengers to be waiting on the ground ... all because of an internal dispute is just not fair," he said.

Schumer says he will introduce legislation to force the FAA and controller's union back to the bargaining table and initiate binding arbitration. Last year, the FAA imposed a contract on the union when negotiations broke down.

FAA officials in a statement acknowledged the increase in delays but said they were "not attributed to staffing levels at FAA's air traffic control facilities." The FAA said some of the delays were weather-related.

Schumer's report said the number of delayed flights had increased since last year by 140 percent at Kennedy Airport, 35 percent at LaGuardia and 20 percent at Newark.

Rich Barbarello, vice president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said about 100 traffic controllers nationwide have quit since September because they cannot afford to live on the salary they receive.

"It's no longer a career ... They've destroyed the profession," Barbarello said of the FAA.

Union officials said staff and pay cuts and record retirements have left the remaining workforce overworked, fatigued and lacking in experienced workers. The combination has caused flight delays and could affect safety, Barbarello said.

The union is supporting Schumer's legislation.

In February, Schumer called for the FAA to hire more controllers after he said control towers at the city's major airports were understaffed by 30 percent. FAA officials said they plan to hire 1,400 controllers nationwide by year's end.

The FAA announced last week it would expand a program at 18 airports to reduce flight delays during the peak summer season. The program allows airlines to fly longer routes to get flights through storms safely.

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