I'll be flying later today, so this news item caught my eye about a United flight from SFO to Newark that turned around over Nebraska and returned to California because of a lack of flight control at Newark. It turns out that Newark is among many airports whose control towers are understaffed.
United flight that was forced to return to SFO cited in Newark airport chaos By Molly Burke, May 3, 2025
"United Airlines Flight 1909, which departed San Francisco International Airport at 10:36 a.m. Monday, was in the air for nearly 2½ hours before turning around in Nebraska, according to FlightAware data. The flight was one of more than 100 canceled trips since Monday, with equipment failures at the Federal Aviation Administration creating serious delays and problems at Newark Liberty International Airport, CNN and Airways Magazine reported.
"The Newark-bound flight landed back at SFO around 4:04 p.m., nearly 5½ hours after passengers left the same city, flight tracking showed."
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That story reminded me of this (surely unrelated) AP news story in February:
Trump begins firings of FAA staff just weeks after fatal DC plane crash By TARA COPP February 17, 2025
" The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal midair collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport."
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Think of all the money being saved on air traffic control support staff
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