HE BELIEVES MUST BE DONE AND
ASKING HIM TO GET BACK TO HIM AS
SOON AS POSSIBLE.
WITH THAT, WE BRING IN ANTHONY
ROMAN, AN FAA LICENSED
COMMERCIAL PILOT.
GOOD TO HAVE YOU HERE WITH US.
FIRST OF ALL, THE DELAYS, THE
CANCELLATIONS KEEP RATCHETING
UP.
DELTA HAS CANCELLED A TON OF
FLIGHTS OVER THIS WEEKEND.
WHAT IS GOING ON?
>> WELL, IT’S VERY, VERY EASY TO
BLAME THE AIRLINES FOR THIS.
IT’S A SIMPLE ANSWER, WHICH IS
SIMPLY NOT FACTUAL.
THE AVERAGE AIRLINE PILOT BASED
ON F.A.A. REGULATIONS CAN FLY NO
MORE THAN 32 HOURS IN A
SEVEN-DAY WORK PERIOD.
NO MORE THAN 100 HOURS IN A
GIVEN MONTH.
SO, YOU KNOW, PILOTS ARE NOT
BEING OVERWORKED.
THE AIRLINES ARE FACED WITH AN
ENTIRELY NEW DILEMMA, WHICH IS
NOT ALL OF THEIR FAULT.
THE PRIMARY FACTORS ARE TRAFFIC
PROBLEMS AT THE AIRPORTS WITH
REGARD TO TOO MANY LANDING
AIRCRAFT, TOO MANY AIRCRAFTING
IN CUE FOR TAKING OFF AND THE
AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE SIMPLY
ISN’T SUPPORTING THE INCREASED
AIRPORT TRAFFIC.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, MARTHA,
WHAT WE HAVE ARE FEWER AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS.
AS A RESULT, IT INTERRUPTS THE
REAL SMOOTH FLOW OF AIRLINE
TRAFFIC AND CAUSES DELAYS.
IT’S ANOTHER FACTOR.
GLOBAL WARMING, MUCH MORE SEVERE
WEATHER, MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY
TODAY THAN IN YEARS PAST.
>> Martha: WHAT WE’RE HEARING IS
THAT THEY’RE SCHEDULING FLIGHTS
THAT THEY KNOW THEY DON’T HAVE A
PILOT FOR.
WE ALSO HEAR THERE’S A PILOT
SHORTAGE.
THAT NOT AS MANY PEOPLE WANT TO
BE PILOTS ANYMORE.
I’M ASKING THE QUESTION, WHAT
CAN BE DONE?
A, WHY WOULD AN AIRLINE SCHEDULE
A FLIGHT THAT THEY KNOW THEY
DON’T HAVE A PILOT TO FLY?
>> I DON’T THINK THAT THAT’S
OCCURRING.
I THINK THAT’S AN EXAGGERATED
SCENARIO --
>> Martha: NO, THIS ISN’T
BECAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING.
THE BOTTOM LINE IS IT USED TO BE
THAT YOU GOT TO THE AIRPORT AND
YOUR FLIGHT SAID ON TIME.
NOW YOU GET THERE, AND YOU THINK
WHAT IS MY PLAN B, C AND D.
>> WELL, OF COURSE THERE ARE
SOME CREW SHORTAGES.
MANY OF THE AIRLINES HAVE
ACCELERATED PILOT TRAINING
PROGRAMS, WHICH NOW ARE ADDING
BIG NUMBERS TO THE AIRLINES IN
TERMS OF FLIGHT CREWS.
AND A LOT OF THE PILOTS THAT
WERE FURLOUGHED AND OFFER EARLY
RETIREMENT PACKAGES AND HAPPY
TOOK THEM ARE RETURNING TO THE
COCKPIT NOW.
WE’RE SEEING A TREND THAT WILL
BE IMPROVING THE SITUATION
THROUGH THE END OF THE YEAR.
BUT AS A RESULT OF THE PANDEMIC,
IT CREATED HIGHLY UNUSUAL
STRESSES FOR ALL U.S. BUSINESSES
BUT PARTICULARLY FOR THE
AIRLINES WITH THE COMPOUNDED
PROBLEMS OF AIRPORT
INFRASTRUCTURE AND WEATHER.
SO IT IS NOT AS SIMPLE AN ANSWER
OR AS SIMPLY A PROBLEM.
>> Martha: I WANT TO GET IN ONE
MORE THING HERE.
I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE ALL OF
THESE SHORTAGES, YOU’LL HAVE
PEOPLE CONCERNED ABOUT
MAINTENANCE, YOU’LL HAVE PEOPLE
CONCERNED ABOUT TSA.
I’VE BEEN TO THE AIRPORT
RECENTLY AND ONLY ONE OR TWO
LANES OPEN BECAUSE THAT’S ALL
THE PEOPLE THEY HAVE TO WORK TO
GET PEOPLE THROUGH.
THAT’S ANOTHER BIG PROBLEM.
THIS IS FROM THE "NEW YORK
POST."
A U.S. PILOT DISTURBING WARNING.
"HUMANS MAKE MISTAKES UNDER THIS
KIND OF PRESSURE.
A LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE TO PUSH
IT TO FLY HOME.
THE PRESSURE CAN MAKE YOU ANGRY
OR PRECIOUS AND HUMANS MAKE
MISTAKES UNDER THAT PRESSURE."
WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THAT?
>> THERE ARE TIME LIMITATIONS
THAT THE PROFESSIONAL FLIGHT
CREWS CAN WORK.
THOSE TIME LIMITATIONS ARE WAY
BELOW WHAT THE AVERAGE AMERICAN
WORKER PUTS IN IN A GIVEN MONTH.
IS AVERAGE AMERICAN WORKER IS
WORKING 160 HOURS OR BETTER IN A
MONTH.
FLIGHT CREWS, 100 HOURS A MONTH.
>> Martha: YOU SAID 32 HOURS AND
SEVEN DAYS?
>> YEAH, THAT’S WHAT THE FAA
REQUIRES.
IT’S NOT A LOT OF TIME.
IT’S BELOW THE AVERAGE FOR THE
AVERAGE WORKERS WORK WEEK.
>> Martha: THERE’S A PLACE THAT
WE CAN START.
MAYBE THE TRANSPORTATION