Is It Time to Privatize the FAA?

It’s time to start thinking ahead.

No matter who was in charge, no matter which party controls the White House, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a mess.

So as reauthorization comes up again, it’s time to start thinking ahead. It’s time to again consider privatizing the FAA.

Right now, the FAA doesn’t have enough air traffic controllers to man the nation’s airports. Part of that is due to a lack of foresight and part of it is due to how much money the agency gets from the government. Perhaps a private company can do it better and run it like a true business.

Our nation's flying public deserves better.

Look, this is a scary proposition, to be sure. I am personally not convinced that privatizing the FAA is the answer. But perhaps we should consider it. Because when you run at 77 percent of full staff, and every flight carries with it an inherent danger, it’s time to consider all options.

Maybe United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby isn’t so far-fetched when he says that, yes, the weather can be a problem but so too is the staffing level of the FAA. The time for debate, time for arguing, has come to an end. This is a serious situation that deserves serious concern.

I don’t profess to know all the answers, nor do I have any idea who could take this over and run it like a business instead of one of the subsidiaries of the United States government. But something has to be done. This is not an entity where we can afford to run it at three-quarters staffed.  

The airlines bear some responsibility in all of this, of course. The lack of pilots, and pilots picking up double shifts, is a problem. The airlines have been talking about the looming pilot shortage for years, so they should have done something about it a long time ago.

But, again, the time for woulda, coulda, shoulda is over.

We need to act now. The situation is untenable. All options should be on the table, including privatization.

Some businesses or agencies can afford not to be fully staffed. This is not one of them.

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