FAA “Glitch” That Grounded Planes Across America First Showed Up In Florida
On January 11th the FAA experienced a “glitch” that grounded around 1,300 flights and delayed 10,000 others. The FAA identified that the problem was within the Notice to Air Missions System (NOTAM) which alerts pilots and other personnel about airborne issues, runway closures and other delays at airports across the country.
This incident was similar to one that took place 9 days earlier on January 2nd in Florida. During that episode a “Ground Stop” order was also given, which effectively stopped flights in and out of the state until the issue was solved.
The FAA released a statement saying that the problem was with the En Route Automation System (ERAM) which is used to direct and control air traffic.
During the problem in Florida the White House released a statement that Biden:
“Was briefed by Secretary Pete Buttigieg early this morning. Biden directed the DOT/FAA to restore the system quickly and safely, and to determine causes. Secretary Pete will provide Biden an update later this morning.”
Well, I’m sure that we all felt so much better knowing that Buttigieg was on the case, and that he had been told to “restore the system quickly and safely, and to determine causes.” Otherwise, I’m sure good old “Mayor Pete” would have been totally lost.
Simply put, Buttigieg is incompetent.
In August of 2021, with store shelves emptying and supply chain issue mounting, Buttigieg who is a male, took a full 2-month maternity leave.
In June of last year with flight cancellations and delays spiraling out of control because of staff shortages, Buttigieg essentially sat on his hands.
While airlines were knowingly scheduling flights they knew they couldn’t provide, costing consumers time, money, and inconvenience, he scheduled what was essentially a photo op meeting with the airlines and washed his hands of any responsibility, instead choosing to wait and see how July 4th went.
So while Buttigieg attends ribbon cutting ceremonies and other noncontroversial nothing burgers, he avoids taking substantial action against the airline industry to stop customer abuse.
In early December, the Transportation Secretary that rants against carbon emissions and criticizes his predecessors for using private travel, came under heat when it was exposed that he has already taken at least 18 private flights on taxpayer funded planes.
Most recently, both Biden and Buttigieg have once again embarrassed themselves by concentrating on woke nonsense while ignoring substantial issues such as system upgrades and supply chain visibility.
The department recently announced plans to award $1.5 billion in grants for projects that promote “racial equity, environmental justice and union jobs in transportation.”
Former HUD Secretary Dr. Ben Carson expressed outrage, and in December called the bill “a Christmas wish list of the woke left.”
On Wednesday, Geoff Freeman, President, and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association decried the collapse:
“Today’s FAA catastrophic system failure is a clear sign that America’s transportation network desperately needs significant upgrades. Americans deserve an end-to-end travel experience that is seamless and secure, and our nation’s economy depends on a best-in-class air travel system.”
It may surprise you to know that as of right now, the FAA does not have a permanent leader, and Biden’s nominee, Phillip Washington is under scrutiny.
Currently, Washington is the CEO of Denver International Airport a position he has only held since July of 2021. Previously, he held positions with municipal transit organizations in Los Angeles and Denver, which focused solely on bus and rail lines.
Besides his obvious lack of aviation experience, Washington was named in a search warrant issued as part of a political corruption investigation in Los Angeles.
The warrant, issued last fall is seeking additional information related to potential favoritism in the awarding of contracts by the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Washington served as CEO of the transit authority for six years and in the warrant whistleblower allegations accused him of pushing forward sole sourcing contracts to a nonprofit run by a county supervisor. The warrant also alleges that Washington ordered a $75,000 bill be paid to the nonprofit through a purchase order process typically reserved for office supplies.
Last year, Washington was in charge of the Biden/Harris transportation transition team. He also was co-chair of the disastrous Biden/Harris Infrastructure Policy Committee.
Gee, what a surprise that Biden would nominate a man with only bus and rail experience to head up the Federal Aviation Authority.
You scratched my back and now I’ll scratch yours.
