FAA Facility Realignment and Consolidation

[echster]

There was a mention about K90 realigning to A90 in another thread.

For those that do not know, the FAA and unions have been mandated to study realigning and/or consolidating facilities. The first report came out last year and the second report was posted in the Federal Register this week. I will attach them so you can read for yourself.

If a joint resolution is not approved by the Congress within 30 days of these recommendations being final, the FAA has to adopt the agreed upon actions by federal law (known as Section 804).

Year 1 - Adopted in 2015 with tentative implementation in 2016 and cutover in 2017.
1. Realign K90 to A90. Also considered realigning K90 into PVD but that option was dropped.
2. Convert ABI from TRACON to TRACAB. Also considered realigning ABI TRACON into LBB, MAF, OKC, and D10 or building a TRACON at ABI but those options were dropped.

Year 2 - Submitted this week for implementation in 2017 and cutover in 2018.
1. Realign ERI TRACON to BUF. Also considered realigning ERI into CLE or PIT but those options were dropped.
2. Realign CAK/MFD TRACONs to CLE. Also considered realigning CAK into PIT and MFD into CMH but those options were dropped.
3. Realign FNT/GRR/LAN/MBS/MKG TRACONs to AZO. Also considered realigning FNT/LAN/MBS into D21, GRR into SBN, and MKG into SBN/MKE but those options were dropped.
4. FWA TRACON was considered for realignment to AZO/SBN but it will remain as an up/down.
5. TOL TRACON was considered for realignment to CLE/D21/AZO but it will remain as an up/down.
6. YNG TRACON was considered for realignment to PIT/CLE but it will remain as an up/down.

 

[MJ]

See a trend? We went through the whole charade of absorbing Abilene and were told from the powers that be there was never really a chance they would move. So much time and resources is wasted on the constant "proposals" that never see reality.

Good find though, I had never seen the report before.

 

[Stinger]

Billings and Great Falls both tried to absorb the Bozeman airspace away from Salt Lake Center. Billings ended up being the recommendation. However, after the proposal and cost survey was done, Boise stepped up and said they wanted to take it. Boise got the Idaho state reps involved and somehow took the airspace. Made no sense when it could have stayed in state for cheaper and ran by controllers that knew the area and already talked to the airplanes going there.

 

[STIMULATOR]

It's interesting to see some of the places I would like to work at on the list to be consolidated. Going back home might not be as lucrative as I thought...

 

[dilbert]

Anyone have an update on this report if the 17-18 submissions went through?

 

[echster]

The comment period for Report 2 is open thru 22 July. Sometime after that date the FAA will forward the report and public comments to Congress. If they do not pass a joint resolution opposing the moves within 30 days of receipt of the report and comments, they will become effective and the FAA can move ahead with implementation after negotiations with labor. My two cents: There will be no objections from Congress and the moves will be final by the end of the FY (30 Sep).

 

[dilbert]

The comment period for Report 2 is open thru 22 July. Sometime after that date the FAA will forward the report and public comments to Congress. If they do not pass a joint resolution opposing the moves within 30 days of receipt of the report and comments, they will become effective and the FAA can move ahead with implementation after negotiations with labor. My two cents: There will be no objections from Congress and the moves will be final by the end of the FY (30 Sep).

Thanks for the insight.

 

[breakaway2000]

I'm curious how many of these soon to be stand alone towers will get contracted out. That seems like the inevitable next step. I mean MBS did 21,340 Tower Ops in 2015. You have some contract towers doing 10x that much. Out of curiosity what's going to happen to the staffing at these facilities? Slash the current CPC and projected CPC numbers to let them transfer out?

 

[echster]

I am not sure anyone knows yet, but I am sure both parties will comply with Article 76 of the new CBA. The first test will be seen when K90 moves to A90. After that occurs, it will be easier to see how things may shake-out in the future.

Related to contracting the slow FAA towers, if it were up to me, I would be in favor of the FAA and NATCA agreeing to contract-out slow FAA towers and replacing them with the busy contract towers. In other words, move Level 5 FAA towers to the contract tower program in exchange for those busy contract towers that could be ATC-7 thru ATC-9. Some of those contract towers push a lot more traffic than FAA towers.

 

[cosoccer]

Is there any word on the 804 for RDG to MDT/ABE?

 

[echster]

I've been slipping. Here is this year's update.

Year 3 - Submitted for implementation in 2018 and cutover in 2019.
1. Realign PIA and SPI TRACONs to T75. Also considered realigning PIA and SPI into C90 or leave as-is but those options were dropped.
2. Realign PSC TRACON to GEG. Also considered realigning PSC to P80 or leave as-is but those options were dropped. Note that PSC also includes the YKM airspace.
3. MWH TRACON was considered for realignment to GEG/S46 but it will remain as an up/down.
4. CHS TRACON was considered for realignment to MYR/SAV but it will remain as an up/down.

 

[Acquired Taste]

Any idea when the next update will come out?

 

[Stinger]

Any idea when the next update will come out?

Are you asking about timelines for realignments that have already been recommended? Or about a document with additional realignments (would be part 4)?
There hasn't been a new one published yet, and there's nothing in the Federal Register about the FAA's Section 804 since the previous Part 3 came out.

 

[Acquired Taste]

I'm looking for part 4. It seemed like additional realignments were coming out once a year so I figured maybe we were due for an update soon.

 

[MJ]

Federal Register :: Document Search Results for '804'

 

[170tovocus]

It opens the door to the agency wanting to separate the traffic counts and have different areas at different pay bands.

How does it work now with TRACONs with multiple areas? I assume it's not just number of ops per facility, or else you could merge three level 8 TRACONs and the new facility would turn into a 12 overnight, even though every controller is still working the exact same airspace. When K90 joined A90, did that get them closer to a 12 due to increased total ops, or closer to a 10 due to bringing down the average? Does that make sense?

 

[Move78]

How does it work now with TRACONs with multiple areas? I assume it's not just number of ops per facility, or else you could merge three level 8 TRACONs and the new facility would turn into a 12 overnight, even though every controller is still working the exact same airspace. When K90 joined A90, did that get them closer to a 12 due to increased total ops, or closer to a 10 due to bringing down the average? Does that make sense?

A90 is still way far from a 12. But generally speaking yes merging 3 facilities will create 1 higher level facility. It's an over simplification but in most cases unless you're absorbing dead airspace it'll increase your CI and everyone's working the same traffic as before.

 

[ColdAilment]

A90 is still way far from a 12. But generally speaking yes merging 3 facilities will create 1 higher level facility. It's an over simplification but in most cases unless you're absorbing dead airspace it'll increase your CI and everyone's working the same traffic as before.

Don't want to get too far off topic here, but that makes me wonder what KAZO will be upgraded to after the consolidation is complete, they're a 6 now and absorbing a 7 and two maybe three 5's.

 

[Move78]

Don't want to get too far off topic here, but that makes me wonder what KAZO will be upgraded to after the consolidation is complete, they're a 6 now and absorbing a 7 and two maybe three 5's.

8 or 9 I forget. They're absorbing FNT LAN GRR MBS MKG but those are all up/downs and they're only absorbing they're Tracons. You can look at all the Tracon CIs together but i was told it doesn't translate 1 for 1 so idk.

 

[BCHOOSIER]

8 or 9 I forget. They're absorbing FNT LAN GRR MBS MKG but those are all up/downs and they're only absorbing they're Tracons. You can look at all the Tracon CIs together but i was told it doesn't translate 1 for 1 so idk.

They're saying it should be an 8. One 7, two 6s, and three 5s. West area works AZO tower, AZO, MKG, and GRR TRACON. East area works FNT, MBS, LAN, and GRR TRACON.