Summary

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO analyzed the responses of 5,098 air traffic controllers, employed at the Federal Aviation Administration's 84 largest air traffic facilities, to a survey about working conditions, staffing adequacy, training of new controllers, morale, and safety.

GAO found that: (1) although all controllers were troubled to some extent by working conditions at air traffic control facilities, the extent of their concern varied between facilities and on the basis of the specific working condition; (2) overall, air traffic controllers at 2 of 20 air traffic control centers reported the most negative views of working conditions, training, safety, and morale, while controllers at 3 centers had the least negative views; and (3) overall, controllers at 12 of 62 air traffic control terminals had the most negative views, while controllers at 11 terminals had the least negative views.