Page 43 - Twin and Turbine September 2017

Traffic Saturation
The U.S. President has said the proposal to privatize ATC will reduce wait times, increase route efficiency and reduce delays, music to the ears of airline CEOs and the traveling public. But it’s not only saturation in the air. It’s the road to the airport and in the airport parking lot. Then there are long lines at security and in the terminal to buy coffee and food. Once airborne, there are thousands of large and small “airliners” swarming the system and the hubs. As pilots operating in the system, we understand the Part 121 operators are consistently late because of airline hubs and the use of a few (30-40) huge airports, not because of ATC inefficiencies. In other words: traffic saturation.
In promoting privatization and the resultant user fees, the airlines may be defending their balance sheet but are not solving the underlying problem of saturation. The next time you’re on an airliner and you are late, ask yourself this: if we were the only airplane on the planet, would we still be late? En route spacing, spacing in the terminal area and on final approach are already optimized for maximum arrival rates. Where does the saturation come from?
Regional Jets
The public wanted frequent departures in order to avoid a three- or four-hour wait at their hometown airport before the next departure. The airlines and manufacturers were happy to oblige by providing more frequent departures and by “right- sizing” the vehicle for the passenger load with the introduction of regional jets. What the passengers got was a f light from their hometown airport on a 50-70 seat RJ going nowhere for an hour or two while the bees lined up to enter the hive. Add weather to any of the airline hubs and the wait increases to three or four hours, or a flight is canceled all together. Ironically, the entire system gets stung by the convenience of increased frequency from hometown airports. Flyers on a tight schedule were forced to seek alternatives and many found them in GA.
Certainly, the general public would enjoy the freedoms and efficiencies of GA, but most don’t know the option exists; the commercial airline system is all they know. More public awareness is needed. I was driving to an airport where I had left the Duke for some paint touch-up: A prop boot failed and threw ice into the baggage door. I had never been to this “little” airport except by air. I was temporarily disoriented during the drive and, against male protocol, stopped for directions.
I got a surprised, “we have an airport?” response. We may have convinced the public that our little airplanes are not the cause of their bee stings because corporate, charter and fractional flying has increased. But GA’s success as a viable alternative to the airlines has not gone unnoticed by the Big Queen Bees. Privatization as a response, and their solution, may create unexpected collateral damage, with negative to the airlines.
The Controller Shortage
If air traffic controllers undergo a financial metamorphosis during privatization similar to those endured by airline employees, they may anticipate a significant restructuring of pay rates, health and dental benefits, life insurance plans
and accrued vacation time. Privatization would also include a significant modification to their FERS pension.
In past transportation industry restructurings, this type of financial turmoil resulted in low morale and caused spikes in both personal bankruptcies and divorces. At the airlines, the anticipation of these life-altering events also caused an increase in retirements and resignations as employees attempted to capture benefits before they were lost in the transition.
Select Airparts Quarter Page 4/C Ad
www.selectairparts.com
11
38
23
24
September 2017 TWIN & TURBINE • 41