United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has penned a three-step plan to “finally fix” the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and in so doing, heaped lavish praise on the Trump Administration and Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
United Airlines CEO Lays Out Three-Step Plan To Fix FAA
Kirby first lays out the problem, arguing “air traffic delays are overwhelmingly because of air traffic restrictions – often weather. But last year, even on clear, blue-sky days, 68% of United’s delays were for air traffic control restrictions. The American traveling public deserves much better.”
But Kirby is “very encouraged that Secretary Duffy and the entire team at the FAA/DOT are expressing a sincere commitment to addressing these challenges.” He then proposes a three-step plan:
I. Improve Staffing
Kirby attributes the FAA staffing shortage of 3,000 controllers to a lack of adequate avenues for training new hires:
But about a decade ago, the FAA closed all the training avenues except their own single training facility. And unfortunately, at maximum capacity, that facility can only start training 1,800 controllers per year, and because of the very high and rigorous standards and testing, the washout rate is high. Combine that with a mandatory retirement age of 56 and last year, the FAA filled all 1,800 slots at the academy…and ended the year with only 36 net new controllers.
That’s a startling statistic and I also was not aware that there is only one training facility or that the washout rate was so high.
Kirby praises Secretary Duffy for his “plan to ‘supercharge’ controller hiring” and suggests “increasing capacity at the Academy in Oklahoma City and expanding the Collegiate Training Initiative to train controllers at private colleges and universities.”
II. Update Technology
Kirby argues that “technology investment to upgrade antiquated ATC systems and infrastructure” is “desperately needed,” bemoaning that “some of the systems are so old that they can’t be maintained because their parts are no longer manufactured or because the technicians who service them have retired.”
In tandem with the removal of the Cold War-era technologies, the FAA should implement all steps to dramatically increase the speed to market of new and innovative technologies. Canada started using electronic flight strips 25 years ago, while we have been unsuccessfully trying to replace our antiquated paper strips at towers since 1983.
Good solution, but easier said than done!
III. Invest In Facilities
Kirby laments that FAA spends roughly 92% of its facilities and equipment budget to patch together the old existing towers, centers, radars, and other equipment rather than genuine upgrades. He proposes “that number should be inverse, with 92% going to upgrade and modernize, and 8% for repair.”
He argues “the funding that supports the safety and efficiency of our airspace is designated on an inconsistent, year-to-year basis. It makes no sense. We can, right now, change budget treatment to designate FAA’s Facilities and Equipment account as mandatory spending.”
Kirby believes this is necessary for long-term capital planning and would also improve staffing concerns.
CONCLUSION
I’m largely in agreement with Kirby’s solution and I also appreciate that there was no scaremongering in his plan:
To be clear, our ATC system is safe. When there are staffing or technology shortfalls, the controllers slow or stop aircraft from flying at all to maintain safety. But now is the time to give the greatest country in the world what its citizens deserve – the best air traffic control system in the world.
He calls these upgrades “the most important change the government can make for the American traveling public” and he’s absolutely correct. He’s also correct there is bipartisan support for this (“I’m encouraged that the administration wants to fix the FAA and that there is bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for fixing it.”).
If the new administration could work with Congress to upgrade our infrastructure…that would truly help to make America great again…
There is some wisdom to praising the Trump administration….so you will not be the target of retaliation.
Trump is the best president ever.
Trump is the greatest American to have ever lived.
Trump is the greatest speaker
Trump is the most fit person in Washington, DC
I promise not to bash Trump in 2025.
Of course. Kirby is a politician too…I think we all get why you would want to praise Trump if you want his support on such big projects like this.
And the most handsome, Derek. He’s also very thin and athletic, with nary a bone-spur to be found.
Where is the “heaping praise on the Trump admin”?
It’s called giving credit where credit is due.
Your TDS is showing
Such an odd statement.
What improvements have been made thus far?
The praise is obviously for the plan.
We’ll see if there’s any action taken.
Kirby is right irrespective of Trump. The TDS amazes me. People stub their toe and blame Trump now.
The acronym “TDS” comes from “ODS” – Obama derangement syndrome… where the mouth breathers came unglued by Obama wearing a tan suit and using Grey poupon on his sandwich.
You trump jock sniffers can’t even think of anything original
Who does Kirby propose pay to upgrade ATC to GPS based?
Cairns the TDS is sooo alive and well among esp the liberal travel blog followers….
Between UA using “nazi wifi”, driving a “swasticar” and Kirby praising the orange “KGB asset”, poor Matthew is having a crisis lmao
You really don’t understand me, Jan.
Believe it or not, I pray for Trump each night. On an ethereal and practical level, I want him to succeed…look at the stock market today. Investors are concerned about the counterproductive nature of tariffs and even more so are afraid of the uncertainty…his tenure has been a mess thus far, but we are less than 100 days in.
We cannot afford to crash the economy, especially so unnecessarily. It’s pointless. Wait until the lawsuits come from federal workers. It will cost far more than leaving many employed in a workforce that is proportionally smaller than it was a generation ago (the target should instead be state and local governments and particularly the healthcare bureaucracy). Wait until the next pandemic rears its ugly head becuase we’ve cut off funding for research, development, and foreign aid to promote wellness.
I don’t like his style, his morals, his bullying, or many of his positions. For the sake of this county, though, how can I not hope that things will turn out okay?
There’s no “crisis” in my worldview. Just sad and sober-minded retrospect. I wish his adoring fans would show a little more of that…
Do you have anything beyond snark to contribute to this discussion?
>There’s no “crisis” in my worldview
>Posts a wall of text of literal crises, including hypotheticals
>The next pandemic lmao
I’m just having fun, I appreciate the snark acknowledgement.
A worldview crisis is not the same thing as a crisis in the world. 😉
I appreciate you praying for the country though, no sarcasm. It is going through a wild ride for sure
“I’m just having fun, I appreciate the snark acknowledgement.”
Good to know your real intent. That you honestly don’t care for solutions and discussion. I give a pass to those who genuinely don’t want to care. But I don’t give a pass to those who spew nonsense week after week and then hide behind the curtain of, “I just like being snarky.” Enjoy your life as an anarchist and watching the flames rise around you that you created.
Please, seek help.
Trump will be dead before any major improvement happens.
Inshallah.
I agree with Desertfox though- I don’t see one thing in Kirby’s statements that “heaped” praise n Trump.
What am I missing?
“I’m very encouraged that Secretary Duffy and the entire team at the FAA/DOT are expressing a sincere commitment to addressing these challenges.”
“I’m encouraged that the administration wants to fix the FAA”
Didn’t mean to post this twice. The above is not praise it’s encouragement and they mean different things.
He was wrong from the jump:
“The American traveling public deserves much better.”
No, they don’t.
If praise means expressing warm approval or admiration.. then the quotes you mentioned are by no means praise to the administration.. that is encouragement… as stated in the quotes. They do not mean the same thing at all.