Blame America's Air Traffic Control System for Your Flight DelayIn countries that privatized, there are fewer delays and costs are lower. But labor unions and the private plane lobby stand in the way.
John Stossel | 3.15.2023 3:05 PM
Your flight is delayed? Blame your government.
OK, it's not always government's fault. Sometimes it's weather or mechanical problems. But often we suffer horrible flight delays because politicians won't relinquish power.
In January, flights were grounded when the government's "Notice to Air Missions" system broke down. That was just the latest incident.
America rightly prides itself on being on the cutting edge of innovation. But it's the private sector that innovates. Government rarely does.
Asked if America's air traffic control system is out of date, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg paused a long time before answering, "The system is continuously being upgraded."
But the government's been "upgrading" air traffic control for decades, promising to switch to a "NextGen" system that uses satellite navigation. But implementation keeps being postponed. Now the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) won't even say when NextGen might be done. ...
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