FAA special report: Is privatization the answer?This February the US government awarded a $1.9 billion contract to Lockheed Martin that will result in the outsourcing of 2,500 air traffic control specialist jobs in 32 states and result in the closure of 38 FAA flight service stations across the US. These flight service stations will be separated from the federal government at the start of October.
Lockheed Martin employees will then operate three major FAA automated flight service station hubs, along with 17 other facilities. The FAA has said the total evaluated cost of the five-year contract (which has an option to be extended a further five years) will make savings of $2.2 billion over the next 10 years.
Even though the tenders for the contract had been out since 2003 the plans caused an uproar with talk that this was a backdoor privatisation. As Air Traffic Management goes to press, there are concerted objections at a legal and congressional level to the move. Some of the air traffic controllers, for example, are filing suit against the government claiming discrimination, others are claiming that safety standards will be jeopardized. Unions such as the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (Natca) are highly active in opposing this.
http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/default.asp?Page=7&PUB=37&ISS=16443&SID=515417------------------------------------------------
Why hasn't the media told us that the FAA is about to be privatized?
Somebody better wake up before the treasury is totally looted.
How will this affect your flying enjoyment and safety?
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