National Association of Air Traffic Specialists

FAA To Cut Incoming Telephone Lines At Automated Flight Service Stations

ISSUE

The FAA intends to eliminate 50% of incoming telephone lines at all of its Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS) around the country. These telephone lines are used by general aviation, commercial and military pilots to obtain pre-flight weather briefings, aeronautical facility status and pilot reports, among other types of information critical to aviation safety. All AFSSs share the same number nationwide, 1-800-WX-BRIEF, which is automatically routed to the facility closest to the caller.

The National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS), which represents the men and women working at all AFSSs, is opposed to these cuts because they will adversely impact aviation safety.

DETAIL

• A survey conducted by AT&T in August 1996, under its FTS-2000 federal telecommunications contract with the GSA, indicated that 544 of 1090 (half) of these lines were "underutilized" when GSA criteria are applied.
• According to the FAA, the total annual cost for these 544 lines, including GSA overhead, is only $390,132.84.
• Many AFSSs currently experience periods when all lines are saturated and callers are greeted with either a busy signal or a failed connection. This occurs now, before the planned reductions are implemented
• The current system automatically forwards calls to nearby facilities when the first AFSS is saturated. However, FS controllers at distant facilities are not required to be familiar with local topography and weather phenomena at an AFSS other than their own.
• The AT&T study was conducted in August, a month featuring relatively good weather throughout the US. Consequently, it does not reflect utilization of these telephone lines during the winter months, when weather phenomena like icing are much more prevalent.
• NAATS is convinced that the planned elimination of half of the telephone lines assigned to FAA's AFSSs will adversely impact aviation safety. Pilots and flight crew attempting to obtain required pre-flight weather information, receive pilot reports or to file a flight plan will not be able to obtain the service(s) required and will depend on incomplete or outdated information from alternate sources, compromising aviation safety.

CONCLUSION

Congress must direct the FAA to cancel its plans to cut by half the number of telephone lines incoming to AFSSs around the country. For additional information, please contact NAATS.

January, 1997

NAATS
11303 Amherst Avenue
Suite 4
Wheaton, MD  20902
301/933-6228
301/933-3902 fax
Gary D. Simms, Executive Director

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