An exclusive report by the New York Post claims that on Monday evening between 18:30 to 21:30, flights out of Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) were handled by just one air traffic controller and a trainee. The report quotes a New York-based controller describing the situation as “pure insanity.” It also noted that an FAA spokesperson said that there were at least three controllers scheduled for each hour on Monday night but did not clarify how many of them were fully certified personnel.

The New York Times reported something similar, adding that four people familiar with the situation said that the number of fully certified controllers on duty to manage Newark’s air traffic was sometimes one or two. These figures are shocking because the target number of controllers for Newark to manage traffic in those hours is around 14-15.

    • mhague@lemmy.world
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      14 hours ago

      I’m glad I’m not the only one who gets annoying comments from people who can’t read

      • Jhex@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        This type of heroics can kill people.

        So that line is not placing blame on the traffic controller holding the tower together?

        • mhague@lemmy.world
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          11 hours ago

          I assume they are frustrated and they’re talking about how a good heroic outcome has sinister alternatives at every fork in the road. Different people react differently and the people who heroically soldier on are not simply saving the day, they are like an extension of dangerous policy. They’re never going to talk to the controller so it’s more general I think. Like “don’t be a hero, don’t be like this guy, if your bosses create a deadly environment then walk away”

          Edit: I can be hypocritical and an asshole so if I say try assuming people are correct, might want to just ignore me.

          • Jhex@lemmy.world
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            11 hours ago

            No, I like your take and while I still disagree on focusing on the most vulnerable person in the chain, at least the way you describe it makes sense as it includes the entire decision making chain.

            Thanks for taking the time to explain.

          • Jhex@lemmy.world
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            13 hours ago

            So saying the person who stayed behind to be a hero could have killed people is a compliment to that person?

            • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works
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              12 hours ago

              No. It’s saying that the person who stayed behind to do their job (like a hero would do) should have just walked out the door … because if there had been any plane crashes (that killed passengers) that person would have been blamed for them.

              • Jhex@lemmy.world
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                11 hours ago

                Funny how you can say it in a way that does sound like you are not blaming this person…

                • HellsBelle@sh.itjust.works
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                  11 hours ago

                  It’s funny how I can understand how capitalism has warped our understanding of work, where putting my life, my mental health and/or the lives of others on the line is accepted practice?

                  Not at all. It just takes some reading and understanding of history.

                  • Jhex@lemmy.world
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                    11 hours ago

                    we understand the same… but it seems I choose to place the blame on the degision makers and not the worker bees

                • magikmw@lemm.ee
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                  11 hours ago

                  Nothing happend so nobody is to blame for anything. IF something happened, then yes, the person would be held accountable, perhaps not too harshly, but still.

                  Same situation: long haul driver doesn’t get a second driver for a 14h run. Management shrugs, he drives for 12, falls asleep and kills someone. He is responsible, but he perhaps was also coerced, and the responsibility is on a company as well.

                  Not everything is clear cut, as much as we’d like.

                  • Jhex@lemmy.world
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                    11 hours ago

                    correct, and my point is we should focus on management or above and not the worker bee

                    much less hinting the worker bee’s actions, and not management, are what could gause loss of life