air traffic updateFollow

well, its a little over 2 weeks to go to D day. the weekend after thanksgiving launches the busy season for air travel.

my area is going into the season down a little over 30 percent of the controllers we had last year at this time when we were just a little below the numbers we needed. already the 6 day weeks are showing up in our schedules for overtime. we fully expect to be working 6 day weeks from thanksgiving to easter, with some 10 hour days tossed in to boot.

expect massive delays at the airport. expect to miss connecting flights. expect evening flights to be cancelled outright.

we wont be doing it for contract talks, a pissing contest, or a wage increase like this addministration will tell you when it happens, we will be doing it to save lives. and remember, it is better to be angry about delays than dead.

some tips.

DO NOT fly on weekends if at all possible.

DO NOT fly evening flights if at all possible.

DO NOT fly standby.

DO NOT book connecting flights, fly direct if at all possible.

your best bet for getting there at all, never mind on time, is fly tue / wed / thur morning and afternoon. monday or early friday if you have to. if you can afford to, fly first class, it will better your odds. pack light, your luggage may never get there, or get there on a differant flight. if you can limit it to a carry on, even better.

and dont get mad at the airlines, or the controllers. it is not their fault. it is simply poor leadership at a national level.

providing crappy service, I'm guessing.

I agree. It's time to fire the current batch of whiney controllers and privatize the business so we're not beholden to the White House to make sure I reach Aunt Myrtle's on time for turkey.

At least, I think that's what he was getting at

In other news, the shops are about to get real busy. Expect long queues. Hot tip - get your christmas shopping in early.

Don't get mad at the shop assistants, it is shoddy leadership at a national level.

The holiday gives us a legitimate excuse to shop and Football keeps the menfolk occupado enough to not notice how much is being spent.