Questions Raised By Comair Accident Highlight Tension Between Sides

After an initially measured response, for the most part, as news of ATC staffing shortages became widely known in the wake of the loss of Comair Flight 5191... the National Air Traffic Controllers Association has gone on the offensive, reporting staff shortages at Louisville Regional Airport have led to numerous delays in landings and takeoffs on overnight shifts in the past year.

Jeff Gilde, president of the union at Louisville International, says takeoffs and landings have been slowed at least a half-dozen times at the airport... which besides its commercial airline service, is also a major cargo hub for United Parcel Service.

"You're working the same amount of traffic with less," said Glide, adding that staffing shortages also affect leave for controllers... and the FAA isn't allowing overtime to cover absences.

The FAA flatly denies those charges... saying the tower in Louisville has 45 controllers, and that's plenty.

"Our goal is to match the staffing levels to the traffic and make the best possible use of the staff we have," said agency spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. "We have never slowed traffic due to staffing and no one has been denied leave because of staffing."

NATCA responds only 41 controllers are in place in Louisville -- down from 51 eighteen months ago -- and that includes one controller since reassigned to Blue Grass Airport.

The battle over staffing shortages comes at NATCA fights with the FAA over labor issues... where the two sides are deadlocked. As Aero-News reported, the FAA imposed a new contract on controllers in June.

FMI: www.natca.org, www.faa.gov