Daryl Campbell

So the first problem is just one of staff retention and training. So on the one hand, the air traffic control system and the people who work there, they're a pretty dedicated bunch, but it just takes a long time to get up to the point where you're actually entrusted with airplanes.

So it can be up to four years of training from the moment that you decide, okay, I want to be an air traffic controller.

So it can be up to four years of training from the moment that you decide, okay, I want to be an air traffic controller.

So it can be up to four years of training from the moment that you decide, okay, I want to be an air traffic controller.

So couple that with the fact that these are government employees and like many other agencies, they haven't really gotten the cost of living increases to keep pace with the actual cost of living, especially in places like the New York, New Jersey area, where it's just gone up way faster than in the rest of the country.

So couple that with the fact that these are government employees and like many other agencies, they haven't really gotten the cost of living increases to keep pace with the actual cost of living, especially in places like the New York, New Jersey area, where it's just gone up way faster than in the rest of the country.

So couple that with the fact that these are government employees and like many other agencies, they haven't really gotten the cost of living increases to keep pace with the actual cost of living, especially in places like the New York, New Jersey area, where it's just gone up way faster than in the rest of the country.

Yeah, I think the cost of living is still outpacing the replacement level at a lot of these air traffic control centers. And then the washout rate, just of the people who are learning for the first time, is actually pretty high. We've seen the average staffing level at a lot of American airports get down below 85%, 80%, which is really where the FAA wants it to be.

Yeah, I think the cost of living is still outpacing the replacement level at a lot of these air traffic control centers. And then the washout rate, just of the people who are learning for the first time, is actually pretty high. We've seen the average staffing level at a lot of American airports get down below 85%, 80%, which is really where the FAA wants it to be.

Yeah, I think the cost of living is still outpacing the replacement level at a lot of these air traffic control centers. And then the washout rate, just of the people who are learning for the first time, is actually pretty high. We've seen the average staffing level at a lot of American airports get down below 85%, 80%, which is really where the FAA wants it to be.

And it's getting worse over time. And then at Newark in particular, it's down to about 58%, I think, as of the first quarter of this year. So this is an emergency level of staffing at a baseline. And then on top of that, you have, in order to keep the airplanes going, you've got people working mandatory overtime.

And it's getting worse over time. And then at Newark in particular, it's down to about 58%, I think, as of the first quarter of this year. So this is an emergency level of staffing at a baseline. And then on top of that, you have, in order to keep the airplanes going, you've got people working mandatory overtime.

And it's getting worse over time. And then at Newark in particular, it's down to about 58%, I think, as of the first quarter of this year. So this is an emergency level of staffing at a baseline. And then on top of that, you have, in order to keep the airplanes going, you've got people working mandatory overtime.

mandatory six-day-a-week shifts, and that's just accelerating that burnout that naturally happens. So there's just a lot of compression and a lot of bad things happening independently, but all at the same time in that kind of labor system that's really making it difficult to both hire and retain qualified air traffic controllers.

mandatory six-day-a-week shifts, and that's just accelerating that burnout that naturally happens. So there's just a lot of compression and a lot of bad things happening independently, but all at the same time in that kind of labor system that's really making it difficult to both hire and retain qualified air traffic controllers.

mandatory six-day-a-week shifts, and that's just accelerating that burnout that naturally happens. So there's just a lot of compression and a lot of bad things happening independently, but all at the same time in that kind of labor system that's really making it difficult to both hire and retain qualified air traffic controllers.

Yeah, and, you know, to his credit, they have announced some improvements on it. They've announced a lot of new funding for the FAA. They've announced an acceleration of hiring, but it's just a short-term fix. So to put it in context, the FAA's budget usually allocates about $1.7 billion in maintenance fees every year.

Yeah, and, you know, to his credit, they have announced some improvements on it. They've announced a lot of new funding for the FAA. They've announced an acceleration of hiring, but it's just a short-term fix. So to put it in context, the FAA's budget usually allocates about $1.7 billion in maintenance fees every year.

Yeah, and, you know, to his credit, they have announced some improvements on it. They've announced a lot of new funding for the FAA. They've announced an acceleration of hiring, but it's just a short-term fix. So to put it in context, the FAA's budget usually allocates about $1.7 billion in maintenance fees every year.

And so they've announced a couple more billion dollars, but their backlog is already $5.2 billion in maintenance. And these are things like replacing outdated systems, replacing buildings that are housing some of these radars, things that you really need to...