Things that go bump in the night,

About time.

A feeble glimmer of hope against a dark horizon; or, the spark which ignites the bonfire?  The 'quote' below is cribbed from Pprune; - HERE - . It is worth some thought and the support of industry.

ATC vote to take Protected Industrial action against Airservices Australia.

Outcome is inevitable.

Always the same technique."

Offer nothing. Delay, delay, delay.

Then blame the few remaining workers on 'disruptions to the travelling public ', when that has been the $hitshow for the travelling public for the preceding years anyway.

Good luck to the dozen or so people who still actually "work" there

A "Protected Industrial Action" - HERE - is a clever idea; and possibly a good way to bring in the changes so desperately needed. It is not just the ATCO's who need to get things sorted and back to some semblance of sanity; business and the travelling public will reap the benefits if the shambles we know as Air Traffic Control is set to rights.

Consider this; just for a convenient number; lets use $6000 per operating hour as a yardstick for measuring 'operating costs' :: $100 per minute. A six minute delay costs $600. 20 minutes in a holding pattern :: $2000. That 20 minutes can and often does knock on to other fleet aircraft or connecting flights. In short it becomes a significant cost, across a fleet which must be met. The delay also impacts scheduled maintenance: an aircraft may only operate a certain number of hours before mandatory inspection and maintenance is required. Each additional 'un-scheduled' hour it operates affects the bottom line of the balance sheet. No prizes for guessing where the additional dollars must come from; bums on seats pay for the delays. Airfares increased; investors need to see a healthy bottom line as a return on their money. QED....

One important element of a robust aviation industry is the Air Traffic service. Crucial to that service are the 'boys and girls' in the back rooms and at the coal face. These are 'dedicated', trained professionals who manage complex tasks as a matter of routine; well, mostly they do. But only when there are enough of 'em to manage the workload and the 'system' they use is 'effective' and fit for purpose.

But, that's not the case is it? Top level 'management' are doing very nicely, thank you. Afforded all manner of protections and get out jail cards; all care but zero responsibility. Any cruise through the Senate Estimates sessions will clearly demonstrate the great divide between bullshit and the cold hard facts.

It is about time the balance was restored, the system rectified. The public 'at risk' levels have increased, the financial burdens to operators have increased and, if the ATCO's were not a 'dedicated' bunch the 'system' would have ground to a halt years ago. Let's all hope the 'strike' action gets the message delivered; there's a big story there for the media if they can get off their beam ends and give this 'action' a push. It does, after all affect the travelling, tax paying public. They pay for it all at the end of the shift.

Toot - toot.
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