I've been chatting with friends across the pond who are NATCA safety reps. It has been very interesting re SERCO contract towers and their safety statistics, especially the following quote....

"As far as the statement about ZERO operational errors, I think that you have
to read in reported operational errors. One of the controllers on the "stop
contracting" work group worked for a time at a contract tower. He
attributes this "excellence" to lack of reports of incidents being filed.
The reason is simply that any controller in a contract tower who reports one
is subject to dismissal. While we do not believe the operational error
statistics we do not blame the controllers because they have no choice. It
is indeed regrettable however that someone is throwing out these statistics
as though they were true."

SERCO also appear to have lost some contract towers in the USA, though for what reasons I'm not sure. They used to have a bunch on the West Coast, but apparently now only have smaller Alaskan and Hawaiian towers.

NATCA are actively trying to stop the contracting out, whether it be to SERCO or anyone else, of their ATC services.

WF.


[This message has been edited by Warped Factor (edited 16 March 2001).]