Newark Liberty International Airport has been struggling with severe operational issues recently, including hundreds of flight cancellations, diversions, and technical malfunctions. Air traffic controllers, working extended hours to manage air traffic, have expressed concerns about safety, often recommending travelers avoid Newark in favor of JFK or LaGuardia. The situation worsened after the FAA moved some controllers to Philadelphia, resulting in understaffing and increased workloads. Controllers are frustrated about the decision to dismantle established practices for better management, fearing a return to disorganization akin to historical aviation safety crises.
I've been an air traffic controller since I was 18, and as a flier, I would avoid Newark. Lately, I've been flying out of JFK or LaGuardia, because it's safer... we just didn't think it was going to be this bad with all of the technological issues.
Now, they're like, 'Let's dismantle it.' Five years ago, they decided they were going to move Newark's controllers from Long Island to Philly, and we tried to fight it.
In 10 months, instead of having people succeed in Philadelphia, we've had 11 say, 'F-k this, I am not doing this.' So now, we're down to 22.
This is a busy area, with the three major airports and all these satellite airports - it's like a bee's nest. Back in the '60s, two airplanes collided over Brooklyn, killing 134 people.
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