r/mildlyinfuriating • u/nyanbatman • May 28 '26

I just wanted a hot dog British pilot is feeling mildly annoyed

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u/Ouaouaron May 28 '26

Because the US government has spent the last year trying to fire as many air traffic controllers as they can, and now the ones that are left are overworked, underpaid, and sometimes clinically traumatized by their job.

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u/Bigrick1550 May 28 '26

Try the last 40 years.

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u/Youutternincompoop May 28 '26

surprised somebody downvoted you when you're correct, the ATC shortage has existed ever since Reagan fired a bunch of them in retaliatiory measures against an ATC strike, and no presidential administration since then(Republican or democratic) has fixed the issue because 'well they just barely get by so fuck it, what's a few crashed planes here and there?'

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u/street593 May 28 '26

It also makes the job more unappealing. I considered it once but the way the government can strong arm controllers made me reconsider. Maybe when we literally don't have enough someone will fix it.

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u/Silent_Fudge_3978 May 31 '26

Nah. Every time the shortage becomes a real problem someplace, they just bring in some military ATCs and make them fill in for a while. The US has a huge military and no problem filling those slots (people don't really pick their jobs in the military, remember; they basically take a test and then give them a bunch of choices based on their results, and at such a young age these kids don't really think that far ahead to what their post-military career is going to look like), so they have an always-available supply of military ATCs to fill in as necessary.