Chicago Air Traffic Controllers Fatigued, Over-Worked: Study

CHICAGO (AP) -- Air traffic controllers who direct planes in and out of Chicago's O'Hare International Airport have too little time off between shifts, a factor that contributes to fatigue and could be a safety threat, according to a federal audit released Thursday.

The 21-page report by the U.S. Department of Transportation criticizes the Federal Aviation Administration for not acting sooner to alleviate air controller fatigue at three air traffic facilities in the Chicago area and recommends immediate changes.

The audit shows most controllers at the three facilities, including a control tower at O'Hare, have had fewer than 10 hours rest between some shifts, progressively earlier start times on consecutive shifts and increased overtime hours.

"This type of work schedule offers minimal opportunity for sleep when the time required for commuting, eating and other necessary daily activities is taken into account," the report said.

It also shows that the ratio of trainees to certified controllers at the Chicago-area facilities is higher than the national average and that many controllers have to regularly conduct on-the-job training with trainees.

The report said the FAA has not acted on earlier National Transportation Safety Board recommendations on controller fatigue and that the agency "does not consistently address human factors issues, such as fatigue and situational awareness" when it investigates operational errors.

O'Hare has had a series of near misses in recent years that were blamed on air traffic controller error. In June, the FAA said two American Airlines planes came close to each other while landing at O'Hare, though both planes landed safely and no injuries were reported.

The transportation department's report laid out recommendations, including increasing rest periods, rotating controllers through less demanding positions during each shift to lessen the potential for fatigue and providing training on fatigue awareness.

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FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said the agency disputes some of the audit, but has already made changes in the past year. For example, the FAA added training on fatigue awareness in May 2008.

In light of the audit, the FAA said it would re-evaluate staffing and look at increasing rest periods between shifts.

"Certainly, fatigue is a concern of ours. This is something that we're watching very, very closely," Cory said Thursday. "We have made changes already and we continue to make changes."

The audit, which was sent to FAA earlier this week, was conducted between January 2008 and February at a tower at O'Hare and facilities in the Chicago suburbs of Elgin and Aurora. A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said he requested the audit after hearing controllers' concerns.

Air traffic controllers said they felt "vindicated" by the audit's findings.

"We have expressed our concerns about controller fatigue for several years, only to have them fall on deaf ears at the FAA, which has ignored NTSB requests to meet with us and work on fatigue issues in a spirit of collaboration," said Patrick Forrey, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a union which represents about 15,000 air traffic controllers.

Durbin agreed with the audit's recommendations, saying the FAA should do more.

"We often take for granted the enormous effort it takes to take-off, manage and land the thousands of planes that enter Chicago's airspace on a given day," Durbin said. "As travelers, we want to know that everything is being done to ensure these controllers are well rested and alert on the job."

-ASSOCIATED PRESS

Comments

[Enid]

Another problem from the Regan area of braking unions and destroying a professionals run organization. Things have never been the same since then. Safety was never a consideration.

[ChicagoDMT]

The FAA has become a joke; just another government agency safeguarding the corporate profits of airlines.

Love the line where "the FAA added training on fatigue awareness in May 2008." If you were serious about eliminating fatigue, wouldn't it make more sense to devote that time to, oh say sleep instead of training?

[JDFlyer]

I am also a commercial airline pilot working out of O'Hare and living in Chicago. Controllers in Chicago are some of the best, if not the best, that I have ever experienced flying anywhere in this country.

Nobody wants to hear it, but aviation consumers need to pay MORE for the tickets to cover the ACTUAL costs of moving from point A to B on a commercial airline. Part of that cost is the federal tax that is collected that is used to pay for the FAA and our national air system. If higher ticket prices mean less people can afford to fly, so be it. The system however will be safer for those who do choose to fly. This is a business that is responsible for human life, NOT a charity.

The weakest link in any system is the "human" link. When a person is strapped into their seat, ATC, is partially, but substantially responsible for your ultimate safety. You want them rested, you want them at the top of their game. Your life, literally, is in their hands.

How much is your life, or your families life worth? Aviation has a grand, grand history of not changing its "rules" until people die. If cost is a persons bottom line deciding factor for travel then take a bus. A roundtrip bus ticket on MegaBus from Chicago to Minneapolis is $40.

[tonewheel]

Good point, JD.

It always baffled me that airline ticket prices can be regularly found for $89, $119, etc., and sometimes lower on the discount airlines. Compare that to an Amtrak long-haul ticket; a sleeper berth from Chicago to L.A. can approach $700...one way....per person.

I would be willing to pay a higher airfare if I knew that my safety was top-of-mind from point A to point B.

[LeLoup]

It is a well-known fact that, above all else, the FAA personal has a very particular fondness for the concerns of the airline industry

[Openyermind]

As a pilot that's based in the Chicago area, I have to say the controllers do an outstanding job. But this will not remain that way if they keep pushing them toward exhaustion and fatigue. Whatever needs to be done to add competent controllers needs to be done. The FAA needs to deal with fatigue more realistically. Otherwise we WILL see more accidents.

[TJsLibView]

I live in Chicago's suburbs and have been on several flights in and out of the city. I'm going to be on a plane to Florida in 10 days. My father has probably been on over 100 flights to and from Chicago in the past year. Having said that, I'm not surprised by this very much. I don't think this is anything to cancel plans over. Don't get me wrong, this is a problem that should be fixed, but I don't think we need to be more afraid of flying that much. But I'm still going to Florida.