FAA Says Airline Performance Is Finally Improving
U.S. airlines are finally starting to get their act together and improve travel performance. This summer has been full of delays and cancellations. And while those issues will probably continue, things are apparently improving.
The information comes from Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen. “We are keeping our eye on things. We’ve seen good improvements,” he told Reuters. “We can see overall delays are down… The airlines are working to right size their network.”
Travel disruptions have been mainly because of staffing shortages at airlines and airports and increased demand. But airlines have also pointed the finger at the FAA for air traffic control staffing issues. Nolen, who has been running the FAA since April, said the “majority” of the problems “are not in any way shape or form related to air traffic (staffing) shortages.”
“We are on track to hire 1,000 controllers this year,” Nolen said. For 1,500 positions, the FAA accepted 57,956 applications for review. The FAA has said it plans to boost air traffic control staffing in some places that have had issues like Jacksonville, Florida.
Nolen said the FAA was hiring key positions. “I don’t buy into the notion that there is some sort of brain drain going on at the FAA,” he said adding that the agency has also “created an absolute level of certainty and clarity” for future electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL).
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“We can see overall delays are down…the airlines are working to right size their network.” Easy to do if you just cancel connecting flights while passengers are in the air, leave all their luggage behind and haul off and arrest any passenger that complains too loudly.