Trump Firing FAA Air Traffic Control Staff just Weeks after Fatal Crashta

Monday, February 17, 2025

The Trump administration has begun firing several hundred Federal Aviation Administration employees, upending staff on a busy air travel weekend and just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Posted by YAV at 07:32 PM | 17 COMMENTS | permalink | Comment on This Entry |

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The Trump administration has started firing hundreds of Federal Aviation Administration probationary employees who maintain critical air traffic control infrastructure, according to their union. cnn.it/42Ymbxy

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-- CNN (@cnn.com) February 17, 2025 at 7:01 AM

Comments

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Brilliant! Counterintuitive! This will make those left pay attention! Awesome! /s

#1 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-17 09:09 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

The number of dead Americans subsequent to this is not likely to break a thousand.

Not even worth complaining about.

#2 | Posted by Zed at 2025-02-17 09:29 AM | Reply

just weeks after a January fatal mid-air collision at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

POSTED BY YAV AT 09:08

Happened just a few miles away from him and Donald still isn't impressed.

I wonder of picking up the body parts afterwards would have impressed?

Nah.

#3 | Posted by Zed at 2025-02-17 09:30 AM | Reply

This will definitely make the price of eggs cheaper!

...

Not.

#4 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-02-17 11:29 AM | Reply

400 fired, so far.

"The terminated FAA employees included workers who assist FAA technicians administratively and logistically, aeronautical information specialists, maintenance workers and mechanics, environmental compliance workers..."

#5 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-17 11:41 AM | Reply

It will take the death of someone close to Trump in an airplane disaster before he changes course and stops choosing to allow people to die rather than spend the money to keep fliers safe. Kind of like Ronald Reagan, AIDS and the death of Rock Hudson.

#6 | Posted by moder8 at 2025-02-17 09:55 PM | Reply

5th plane wreck in 4 weeks just happened.

#7 | Posted by YAV at 2025-02-17 10:29 PM | Reply

Airplanes are doing backflips over the New Rulz of Der Fuhrer and Herr Musk.

#8 | Posted by donnerboy at 2025-02-18 10:07 AM | Reply

Reagan fired 80% of all FAA Air Traffic Controllers Aug 3, 1981.

Republicans didn't care about that back then and I don't expect them to care now.

The scabs who were hired to replace the PATCO controllers are all retiring now. Trump just fired all the Controller Trainees.

American Air Safety is in a death spiral.

Republicans are turning the shining beacon of the world into a "-------- Country".

Republicans are destroying America.

Not immigrants. Not trans-people. Not the Gays, not Black folks.

Own it, MAGAts.

#9 | Posted by Wardog at 2025-02-18 11:39 AM | Reply | Newsworthy 1

Air Traffic Controller Trainees are all probational employees. I expect they are all fired, or are soon to be fired.

#10 | Posted by Wardog at 2025-02-18 11:42 AM | Reply

"The impacted workers include personnel hired for FAA radar, landing and navigational aid maintenance, one air traffic controller told The Associated Press. The air traffic controller was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity."

An insider's perspective. If, and only if the people released were involved in maintenance activities, then the public should be less concerned.

Withstanding the shortage of actual controllers, the public would be outraged if they saw the cake jobs that FAA maintenance-types enjoy. I slightly exaggerate, but imagine a person spending a week to perform a 1 day job, atop which the govt pays hotel, per diem, etc for 4 extra days. FAA is a good ol' boys club with much bloat and too-few actual controllers.

#11 | Posted by Hegel at 2025-02-18 01:56 PM | Reply

The cuts are starting to hit Okiehomie, home to Dotard voters all over the Sooner or Later State. I'm glad these folks are starting to get a taste of what they voted for. Of course, the state's congressional delegation--all as limp and soft as pasta cooked for four hours--will avoid the situation by talking about illegal immigration, oil and gas development, and the weather. No one says "I hate you" more than a laid off worker who formerly made six figures...

#12 | Posted by catdog at 2025-02-18 05:16 PM | Reply

Looks like I'll be driving everywhere in the near future.

#13 | Posted by a_monson at 2025-02-18 09:45 PM | Reply

Wow, the Trump f*&^ers haven't bothered showing up. Shocking.

They love to make threads of adulation of "PrOmIsEz MdAe PrMiOsIZesZ KePT!!" but have nada to say on the countless threads showcasing their terrible stupidity and short sighted moronic moves.

Firing and rehiring ATCs? Crickets.

Firing rehiring the guys who maintain nukes? Crickets.

Firing and rehiring critical VA personnel? Crickets.

F*&^ing idiots.

#14 | Posted by jpw at 2025-02-19 12:37 AM | Reply

Here's another problem:

The algorithms were set to target "probationary" employees, which are usually workers there for less than 1 or 2 years. Those folks don't have the same civil service worker protections as more tenured employees, so they're much easier to fire.

The problem is, when an eight-year veteran is promoted, they're considered a "probationary" employee in their NEW position, but that means if they don't work out, they'd be demoted to their PRIOR position.

The AI can't tell the difference between new employees, and newly promoted employees...so they fired both sets.

Dumfuqs are running the country.

#15 | Posted by Danforth at 2025-02-19 12:45 AM | Reply

I've been reading a lot of accounts from long term public health fed employees at USDA, FDA, NIH, CDC ect that are in that exact boat. Years of public service *poof* gone because a bunch of creepy looking incels at Project 2025 think they should be with zero actual rationale beyond dogmatic stupidity.

#16 | Posted by jpw at 2025-02-19 12:56 AM | Reply

Donald Trump is insane! He;s making life more dangerous in America in many ways.

#17 | Posted by danni at 2025-02-19 06:23 AM | Reply