United to cancel 10% of daily flights from Newark, cites FAA staffing, equipment (1 Viewer)

[multivita-man]

Yet more problems with US commercial aviation - this time, staffing at Newark, which is one of the nation's important hubs.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/united-airlines-travelers-face-check-in-issues-website-app-2025-05-02/

"Technology that FAA air traffic controllers rely on to manage the airplanes coming in and out of Newark airport failed - resulting in dozens of diverted flights, hundreds of delayed and canceled flights and worst of all, thousands of customers with disrupted travel plans," Kirby said in an email to customers. "Unfortunately, the technology issues were compounded as over 20% of the FAA controllers for (Newark) walked off the job."

I can't say I blame them. They're being set up to be blamed for a repeat of what happened in Washington earlier this year. Aviation infrastructure problems are nothing new, but instead of proposing to improve infrastructure and support staff increases, the current administration promises to slash spending any way it can, including with cuts to personnel across the federal government. If you want economic contraction, crippling transportation infrastructure, on top of crippling tariffs, are a good way to do it.

 

[Greenbeard]

Perhaps waging a war on the federal workforce isn't a good idea after all.

 

[Absentglare]

Poor people being unable to use airplanes is a plus to our new feudal lords.

 

[poweRob]

Yet more problems with US commercial aviation - this time, staffing at Newark, which is one of the nation's important hubs.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/united-airlines-travelers-face-check-in-issues-website-app-2025-05-02/

I can't say I blame them. They're being set up to be blamed for a repeat of what happened in Washington earlier this year. Aviation infrastructure problems are nothing new, but instead of proposing to improve infrastructure and support staff increases, the current administration promises to slash spending any way it can, including with cuts to personnel across the federal government. If you want economic contraction, crippling transportation infrastructure, on top of crippling tariffs, are a good way to do it.

 

[CaughtInThe]

I want to congratulate anyone who voted for Trump and anyone who complained about Biden and Harris.

You win the award for not being smart.

 

[poweRob]

Maga hating and cutting government. Look at doge efficiency go.

 

[multivita-man]

Perhaps waging a war on the federal workforce isn't a good idea after all.

Who knew?

 

[multivita-man]

Related

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/03/nx-s1-5385802/dca-army-black-hawk-helicopter-airlines-abort-landings

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says it's "unacceptable" that two commercial jetliners had to abort landings this week at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport because of an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

The incident Thursday afternoon occurred three months after 67 people were killed in a mid-air collision near the airport between a Black Hawk and a passenger jet.

Just to show I can be nonpartisan once in a while, although I am not sure Duffy is the guy to lead FAA in terms of being actually qualified, I can tell that he actually takes his job seriously and wants to do a good job. And he's right: tours, VIP shit, near the DCA flight path...unacceptable.

 

[Chomsky]

Related

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/03/nx-s1-5385802/dca-army-black-hawk-helicopter-airlines-abort-landings

Just to show I can be nonpartisan once in a while, although I am not sure Duffy is the guy to lead FAA in terms of being actually qualified, I can tell that he actually takes his job seriously and wants to do a good job. And he's right: tours, VIP shit, near the DCA flight path...unacceptable.

In all fairness, it is the military that's constantly screwing-up here. I'm starting to lose respect for their skills and discipline, as they're surely not displaying what we expect of them.

 

[multivita-man]

In all fairness, it is the military that's constantly screwing-up here. I'm starting to lose respect for their skills and discipline, as they're surely not displaying what we expect of them.

I think that things that maybe they could get away with in the past, they just can't now. Maybe part of it is internal sloppiness in DoD, but another factor is the increase in traffic at DCA.

 

[Chomsky]

I think that things that maybe they could get away with in the past, they just can't now. Maybe part of it is internal sloppiness in DoD, but another factor is the increase in traffic at DCA.

For whatever reason, I'm losing confidence in their skills & discipline.

 

[multivita-man]

For whatever reason, I'm losing confidence in their skills & discipline.

I'm losing confidence in this country's various systems and infrastructures, which were once the envy of the world but are now dilapidated, and the social/cultural/political infrastructures as well as the physical infrastrcutures.

 

[Hamish Howl]

In all fairness, it is the military that's constantly screwing-up here. I'm starting to lose respect for their skills and discipline, as they're surely not displaying what we expect of them.

"There are no bad regiments, just bad colonels."
- Viscount William Slim

 

[Chomsky]

I'm losing confidence in this country's various systems and infrastructures, which were once the envy of the world but are now dilapidated, and the social/cultural/political infrastructures as well as the physical infrastrcutures.

I can't argue there, multivita-man.

The biggest failure, of course, is Congress abrogating its duty to contain the President.

 

[multivita-man]

I can't argue there, multivita-man.

The biggest failure, of course, is Congress abrogating its duty to contain the President.

They had two chances to remove and disqualify him from public office.

 

[Chomsky]

"There are no bad regiments, just bad colonels."
- Viscount William Slim

I can't speak from military experience, but in the corporate world - when dealing with serious transgressions - the rule of them is to fire the employee and discipline the superior.

 

[Chomsky]

They had two chances to remove and disqualify him from public office.

It's much simpler than that. They can legislatively direct him.

 

[Hamish Howl]

I can't speak from military experience, but in the corporate world - when dealing with serious transgressions - the rule of them is to fire the employee and discipline the superior.

It's very similar. A rotten unit/business unit is that way because they have shit leadership.

 

[multivita-man]

I can't speak from military experience, but in the corporate world - when dealing with serious transgressions - the rule of them is to fire the employee and discipline the superior.

Sometimes, the superior pays for the employee's bad judgment, too...it depends.

 

[Chomsky]

It's very similar. A rotten unit/business unit is that way because they have shit leadership.

One more corporate adage, and it's a good one:

"First-rate people hire other first-rate people. Second-rate people hire third-rate people"

I very much believe the above, and have seen it in action often.

In fact, I once had the misfortune of working in a group of second and third raters. It was hell. Politics ruled supreme. And my separation from them was not a happy one. Not long after, this motley crue proved their corporate worth, as the entire group - all of them - were jettisoned in a corporate downsizing.

 

[Hamish Howl]

One more corporate adage, and it's a good one:

"First-rate people hire other first-rate people. Second-rate people hire third-rate people"

I very much believe the above, and have seen it in action often.

In fact, I once had the misfortune of working in a group of second and third raters. It was hell. Politics ruled supreme. And my separation from them was not a happy one. Not long after, this motley crue proved their corporate worth, as the entire group - all of them - were jettisoned in a corporate downsizing.

Been there, done that.

Now that I'm near the top, I weed out the troublemakers immediately. Our field is too narrow to lose good people because of assholes.

 

[Allan]

Yet more problems with US commercial aviation - this time, staffing at Newark, which is one of the nation's important hubs.

https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/united-airlines-travelers-face-check-in-issues-website-app-2025-05-02/

I can't say I blame them. They're being set up to be blamed for a repeat of what happened in Washington earlier this year. Aviation infrastructure problems are nothing new, but instead of proposing to improve infrastructure and support staff increases, the current administration promises to slash spending any way it can, including with cuts to personnel across the federal government. If you want economic contraction, crippling transportation infrastructure, on top of crippling tariffs, are a good way to do it.

I thought Elmo had this fixed.

 

[Allan]

"First-rate people hire other first-rate people. Second-rate people hire third-rate people"

That's a good one

 

[Chomsky]

Sometimes, the superior pays for the employee's bad judgment, too...it depends.

Yeah, but that's how it should be. It's the manager's job to "manage". If responsibly isn't assigned, no one's responsible. And the underling is the responsibility of their superior.

There one more little concept I learned, and I fully believe in:

"If everyone's responsible, no one's responsible!"

Responsibility needs to be directly assigned. None of this,

"We all need to do 'x'"

Rather,

"We all need to do 'x', and Mr. Y you're responsible for seeing it gets done. I'm giving you the resources and responsibility to do it"

If you ever get stuck in an org or group where everything is by committee, run for the hills! Your projects will end-up in frustrating failure.

 

[Allan]

If you ever get stuck in an org or group where everything is by committee, run for the hills! Your projects will end-up in frustrating failure

A committee is a group of people doing the work of one person.