How to fix America's aviation system (2023)

Near-Misses and Overall Safety

• Multiple recent runway incursions and near-collisions (JFK, DCA) are cited as evidence of increasing risk and system strain.
• Some argue these are early-warning “canaries” that need addressing before a fatal crash.
• Others emphasize that commercial aviation remains extraordinarily safe, with far lower risk than driving, and warn against fear-driven policy.

Staffing, Fatigue, Pay, and Unions

• Controllers in the thread say the core problems are chronic understaffing, mandatory 6‑day weeks, and stagnant pay that lags pilots’ raises and inflation.
• New FAA rules to increase minimum rest between shifts are viewed by some controllers as likely to worsen schedule quality under current staffing.
• Union leadership is criticized as ineffective, too willing to extend contracts without fighting for pay; controllers feel trapped because they cannot strike.
• The legacy of the 1980s mass firing is debated: some claim it still affects staffing; others say long-term safety stats don’t support that.

Funding and Governance

• FAA’s reliance on user fees/taxes is blamed for underinvestment in technology and staffing, given airline/corporate lobbying against higher fees.
• One proposal: modest per-flight surcharges could raise billions with negligible per-passenger impact.
• There is disagreement over whether FAA should be more “self-funding” and insulated from politics, or whether that risks capture and inefficiency.

Hiring Standards, Diversity, and Pipeline

• A controversial “biographical assessment” used in one hiring pathway is criticized as prioritizing diversity metrics over domain skills; others dismiss the coverage as politicized.
• The thread notes this assessment was dropped in 2018 and only applied to “off the street” applicants.
• Age limits (must start by ~30 due to mandatory retirement at 56), relocation requirements, medical/psych screening, and weed bans are seen as making mid‑career entry hard.
• Controllers say applicant volume is high; the real problem is retention due to pay and quality of life, not lack of interest.

Technology and Automation

• Current en route ATC tech is described as old but robust; newer datalink (CPDLC) is slowly rolling out.
• Some argue 99% of ATC work could be automated, analogizing to driverless subways; controllers and others counter that the remaining edge cases are numerous and life‑critical.
• There is interest in targeted automation (e.g., systems that prevent conflicting runway clearances) rather than full replacement of controllers or pilots.

Environmental and Airport Issues

• Several comments support phasing out leaded avgas; unleaded 94UL and 100UL are noted as approved and rolling out, though sometimes entangled with local politics and airport redevelopment.