Feature Stories

Will Obama Be Good for the Aviation Industry?

This week, President-elect Barack Obama got a tour of the White House from George Bush, and now he’s busy at work assembling his cabinet. Plans are underway for the new administration, and with so many major problems to address, what will take precedence? The aviation industry is hoping that with all of the focus Obama has put on the need to update America’s crumbling infrastructure, much of that money and attention will go to the skies.

Obama’s transportation policy specifically addresses the challenge of improving and modernizing air traffic control. The current system has not been updated since Eisenhower was in office; with this antiquated system, the industry reported the second-worst year on record for delays and cancellations. Obama promises to “work with Congress to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system.” He also places emphasis on creating more effective cooperation between the FAA and the air traffic controllers to “restore morale and improve working conditions and operations at the agency.”

According to experts, this level of attention is just what aviation needs. The industry is in decline, and the Bush administration made few friends with its policies. The latest issue involves the congestion in New York City’s airspace. President Bush worked with the FAA to auction slots at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports, but congress and airlines both opposed this proposal. It is currently moving forward, but many believe that Obama will not oppose the congressional majority and that the measure will cease.

The better way to deal with congestion in New York and across the country is to comprehensively modernize the air traffic control system to use a GPS network called NextGen. And with Obama heading to office, many of the controllers and airport directors are hopeful that the update will come soon. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the new air traffic control system “has the potential to save fuel, shave time off long flights and enhance safety.” Because it is more accurate and faster than radar, the system will allow planes to travel closer together and to change altitude more freely, making for smoother flights. While airports and airlines support the use of the system, the groups disagree with the FAA on implementation plans.

Hailing from Chicago, home to United Airlines and O’Hare airport—the world’s second-busiest airport in terms of passenger traffic—Obama is very aware of the needs of the aviation industry. In his policy speeches, he has pledged to not only facilitate and expedite air traffic control upgrades, but also to maintain limits on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines’ stock and improve controllers’ working conditions.

This final point—improvements for the air traffic controllers themselves—is just as vital to improving the industry as the NextGen system will be. In 2006, air traffic controllers took a thirty-percent starting pay reduction. Since then, the controllers’ union has had a rocky relationship with the FAA. Obama has a history of support for laborers and unions, and controllers believe that the Obama administration will live up to its commitment to support and strengthen workers’ rights. Doug Church of the National Air Traffic Controllers’ Association told Wired.com, “We have high hopes for better working conditions and a collaboration with the (Obama) administration.”

Experts claim that our skies are safe, but there may be more near-misses than most passengers realize. Last week, the Wall Street Journal ran an article claiming that midair collision hazards are on the rise, due in part to growth in air traffic, but also due to operational errors made by air traffic controllers.

With Obama’s focus on infrastructure upgrades, there’s promise that an updated air traffic control system will be in our future. Technology will help, but we also need to depend on the new generation of controllers. Stay tuned to AeroChannel for more on the air traffic control situation. Later this month, AeroChannel’s Darren Popik goes to the tower to investigate what really goes on behind the glass with the people who maintain safety in the skies.