Air Traffic Controllers Declare Staffing Emergency=0AAnnouncement Effects N= ew York, Chicago, Atlanta, Southern California=0AWASHINGTON (CBS) =AF =0AFa= cing increasing scrutiny over a significant decrease in the number of fully= certified employees on its workforce, the National Air Traffic Controllers= Association declared Thursday a staffing emergency in New York, along with= three other major travel hubs in the United States. =0A=0AThe alarming ann= ouncement comes as NATCA said it lost 10 percent of its workforce in 2007 a= nd is on pace for a record number of losses in 2008, causing two government= watchdogs to take notice. According to NATCA, a "staffing emergency means = that controllers do not have enough trained and experienced personnel on th= e ground to safely handle the volume of traffic in the air and at major air= ports." =0A=0AThe emergency also affects Chicago, Southern California, and = Atlanta. =0A=0AIn New York specifically, the most crucial drop was reported= at the John F. Kennedy Airport Tower where the number of fully trained con= trollers has fallen 42 percent since 2001, despite a 40 percent increase in= air traffic. NATCA said the tower has just 22 certified controllers on sta= ff in 2008 and eight will retire by the end of the year, with another four = becoming eligible for retirement. =0A=0A"An already dangerous situation is = about to get worse," NATCA President Patrick Forrey said in a statement. "A= n additional 2,200 experienced controllers will be able to retire by the en= d of this year, thinning the already-depleted ranks of the workforce at a t= ime when the skies have never been more congested." =0A=0AAge appears to be= a giant issue among air controllers. NATCA projected 500 controllers will = retire by Feb. 3 this year, and an additional 2,200 will follow suit by yea= r's end. Many of those who intend to retire said they plan to do so "due to= the lack of any incentive to stay on the job," according to NATCA. =0A=0AT= he current record of controllers who have retired in a year, set just one y= ear ago, is 856. If NATCA's projections are correct, the number of retirees= in fiscal 2008 would blow away that number. =0A=0AThe news comes at a time= when it appears there are increasing amounts of near-misses and close call= s at airports, along with long taxi and takeoff lines and delays. Forrey sa= id a depleted staff would increase the risk for error and potentially catas= trophic accidents. =0A=0A"The [General Accountability Office] has already s= tated that the risk of a catastrophic accident on our runways around the na= tion is high. Without an adequate amount of rested, well-trained controller= s in towers and radar facilities, the risk of an aviation accident now incl= udes the airspace as well as the ground," he said. =0A=0ALast month, Sen. C= harles Schumer blasted the Federal Aviation Administration after a commuter= jet coming in for landing at JFK nearly collided with a 747 cargo jet on t= he ground. =0A=0ASchumer said the number of near-misses at New York's three= major airports have doubled since 2003, and demanded the FAA install new t= echnology in all three airports that would help prevent future close calls = from occurring. =0A=0AForrey is also calling on the FAA and the Department = of Transportation to help quell the air controller crisis, hoping they can = provide additional staff to the four areas affected by the emergency. =0A= =0A=0AWCBSTV.com's Most Popular Pages <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".