Legacy Executives Butt Heads Over Air Traffic Control Plan
Joe Cortez April 14, 2016
American CEO calls Delta’s plan to overhaul air traffic control “harmful.”
Plans to revitalize America’s air traffic control infrastructure has hit a new snag, as key executives from two legacy airlines are openly contesting each other’s plans. Bloomberg reports the latest round of commentary over air traffic control came at the CAPA Americas Aviation Summit in Las Vegas.
In discussing the potential privatization of America’s air traffic control infrastructure, American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker suggested the opposition from Delta Air Lines was driven by a personal agenda. During his response from a question-and-answer segment query, Parker claimed a plan driven by their legacy competitor was best for them alone.
“I don’t think it’s because they have different facts,” Parker said in his response, as published by Bloomberg. “I think it’s because they have a different agenda. What’s best for Delta is for the rest of us to live in an environment that is relatively more harmful to us than to them.”
Delta has openly opposed the privatization of air traffic control services, despite the support for the split from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from other air carrier unions and trade group Airlines for America. The difference of opinion was a factor in Delta’s departure from the trade consortium and led to their own recommendation for improving air traffic control. In response to Parker’s comments, a spokesperson for Delta suggested privatization would only hinder efforts to overhaul infrastructure.
“Delta is the largest operator in the congested and weather-strapped airspaces in [New York City] and Atlanta,” Delta spokesperson Kate Modolo told Bloomberg via e-mail. “We know all too well the risks of losing momentum on the progress we’ve made to improve the airspace by switching to a privatized air traffic control model with no evidence that doing so would improve air travel.”
The idea for privatizing air traffic control began in 2015, with lawmakers introducing the idea as part of FAA reauthorization bills. In the latest round of legislation introduced to the Senate, language for air traffic control privatization was not included.
[Photo: Getty]
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Many other countries have ATC that is privatized or public-private partnership. A number of ATC towers in the US are already privatized.
Privatizing a natural monopoly is a monumental lunacy that leads to uncontrolled escalation of cost. We don't need ATC to start charging like health care insurance.