US: Watchdog: Too few air traffic controllers where needed most

There are too few fully qualified controllers at more than a dozen of the nation’s busiest air traffic facilities stretching from Atlanta to Anchorage, according to report released Tuesday by a govt watchdog. The 13 airport towers, approach control facilities and en route centres have fewer fully trained controllers than the minimum number established by the FAA specifically for each facility, DoT’s inspector general said. The FAA considers the facilities fully staffed because controllers still in training are used to fill the gaps. But the report says there is great variation among trainee skill levels and readiness to work on their own. The report also questions the validity of the minimum staffing levels the FAA has assigned to the facilities, finding fault with the agency’s methodology. <br/>
AP
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/01/26/watchdog-too-few-air-traffic-controllers-where-needed-most/
1/26/16