Democratic Veteran :: Privatize the FAA? Not!

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June 20, 2003

Privatize the FAA? Not!

In the relentless drive by the 1600 Crew to hand over more and more of the Federal Government's business to their campaign supporters, the Bushies want to hand over the FAA to private contractors. In particular, they want to hand over the functions of Flight Service Stations, as well as expand the numbers of Control Towers staffed by private contractors, and maybe even some radar facilities (now that's scary stuff). From todays NYT:

Both the House and Senate voted last week to forbid further privatization of the air traffic system, after vigorous lobbying by the controllers' unions, supported by a group representing private pilots. Soon, negotiators for the two houses will iron out differences in the bill to which the measures were attached. The underlying bill authorizes the Federal Aviation Administration to spend money for the next few years; the House version is for $58.9 billion over four years, and the Senate version is for $43.5 billion over three years.

The administration is threatening to veto the bill over the privatization provision. On June 11, it announced that "restrictions are unnecessary and would hinder" the ability of the aviation agency to manage the air traffic control system. In May, the administration said that of 850,000 government jobs that it says could be handled by private contractors, it would like to open 15 percent of them to private-sector competition in the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30. Officials have said they would like to find some of those jobs at the F.A.A.

Why is the privatization issue a bad idea? For several reasons:

FAA has an inherent enforcement authority that helps keep pilots of all skill-levels honest about what they are doing; the last thing you want to hear from a controller is "Say Pilots Name" or "Call me when you land". Big Trouble most likely coming your way.
FAA controllers are some of the most professional government employees that I have ever had to work with as a pilot (that's 30+ years now). Contract Tower employees are not always so, let's be tactful here, professional.
FAA will never be worried about "bottom-line" results as they affect safety issues, a publicly-traded company might get a bit concerned about profits in their Air Traffic Control division, especially if management was not overly familiar with the systems and impose budgetary measures detrimental to public safety.
FAA is accountable for what it does, to Congress. A contractor might not be, especially if they are "Bush Buddies".

I have grave reservations about this, from a professionalism standpoint and from a safety standpoint. It would be truly horrible to have aviation safety compromised for the sake of Grover Norquist's mad fantasy of re-making government in his own perverted image.

The "Private Pilot" group mentioned in the NYT article is AOPA (the Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association) which does a fair amount of lobbying on the Hill for causes like this. Here's a link to their article on this if you're interested. It's not just an issue that affects "general aviation", but every air-traveler.

posted by Jo Fish on 06.20.03 at 03:03 PM

Comments:

For all of the reasons you mentioned and soooo many more, this is a horrid idea! There is absolutely no possible way that safety will be enhanced through the FAA by privatizing their effort--absolutely not a chance in hell.
And, please, AOPA?!? That is strictly a corporate interest group. These are the people that'd like the FAA to stop regulating safety to prune the astroinomical cost of manufacturing and operating aircraft. Talk about getting advise from the fox on making the henhouse a better place...

Let's put it this way: If you fly, and you'd like your odds of surviving your travel to be a consideration, privatizing the FAA is not (I repeat, NOT) the plan for you.

posted by: Tiger Lily on 06.20.03 at 04:30 PM [permalink]

...isn't "privatizing" just a euphamism for "abolishing gov't"?
--ventura county, ca

posted by: Darryl Pearce on 06.20.03 at 06:39 PM [permalink]

Privitization always works, just ask NATO which privatized its maintenence and has since had a perfect safe - oops, never mind.

posted by: Bruce Webb on 06.21.03 at 10:17 AM [permalink]

You do realize that the canadians years ago privatized their version of the "FAA". Far from causing problems they were able to modernize their technologies (getting away from the vacuum tube tech that we still use in control towers), increase safety, lower cost, and increase the # of flights. I know a lefty idealouge like yourself will never let dissent on his/her board, but I just wanted to have my say.

posted by: jkaplan on 06.23.03 at 08:34 AM [permalink]

jkaplan- interesting point about the Candian FAA, however: their system is substantially smaller than ours, we use their controllers (and they use ours), the upgrade to the systems you talk about could have been accomplished years ago if any administration had released the money in the Airways Trust Fund, which has become so substantial it now plays into budget-balancing numbers.

As to your lefty idealogue charge...bullshit...you are always welcome to post here unless you are a drooling hate-mongering racist freeper (which it does not seem that you are). republicans are always welcome.. we don't hate you, we just don't have to agree.

posted by: Jo on 06.25.03 at 10:06 AM [permalink]

"And, please, AOPA?!? That is strictly a corporate interest group. These are the people that'd like the FAA to stop regulating safety to prune the astroinomical cost of manufacturing and operating aircraft."

We really do need to do something to prune the astronomical cost of manufacturing and operating aircraft. This is the year 2003 and we're all still using groundcars, for crying out loud. That's really pathetic, if you ask me.

I say we need big changes at the FAA. The Canadians may have a smaller system, but it's not so small that their experience is irrelevant to us. As for the rest of it, I'd suggest that private pilots should be required to carry liability insurance and otherwise left mostly alone. Insurance companies would then set their rate structures to encourage pilots to keep themselves and their planes flightworthy, and the fact that crashes mean probably death for a pilot will supply the rest of the incentive for proper behavior.

posted by: Ken on 07.01.03 at 09:43 AM [permalink]

Anyone remember the Alps midair last year caused by Skyguide, the privatized ATC company? I'm sure the parents of those Russian children remember.Thats a prime example why its a bad idea...the ATC facility was understaffed and had broken equipment caused by Skyguide...

Anyone remember the Northeast power outage and the Cal energy crisis? Deregulation/privatization a good idea, eh? So much for the industry modernizing itself. After all, service/safety comes before profit? HAH!

posted by: bent on 08.17.03 at 11:47 AM [permalink]

Check out http://www1.faa.gov/ncarc/testimony/swa-te.htm to see what Herb Keller, founder and chairman of southwest has to say on this.

He is responsible for running the most successful airline in the country and he said "But every "problem" is not a "crisis." The crisis mongers have said that "Privatization" of key FAA governmental services will cure all ills. A "privatized FAA" is an oxymoron. The concept of "privatizing" a natural pure monopoly is absurd. Privatization, as an economic concept, only works in an environment where competition lives and thrives. Is anyone suggesting that we break up the FAA and allow competition in the delivery of air traffic control services? Probably not even the Big Seven have the temerity to put forth such a notion. Only those with special agendas could say, with a straight face, that "privatizing" a natural monopoly like the FAA will ever lead to innovation and greater productivity. To do so would defy the laws of economic gravity. The issue is not one of economic efficiency, but of economic power, economic domination, and economic control. The end game of the Big Seven is takeover and control of the FAA by the Big Seven, and for their exclusive benefit."

posted by: John on 08.25.03 at 03:17 PM [permalink]