On this week’s episode of AvTalk, US airspace held together—barely—with hastily announced cuts to flights at major airports going into effect and air traffic controller staffing triggers peaking on Sunday. We also discuss comments from President Trump (09:23-15:28) on controller staffing during the shutdown and what effect that sentiment might have on controllers in the future.
Updates on the crash of UPS 2976, including the latest updates from the NSTB and the FAA’s decision to ground the MD-11 fleet for inspections.
Australian investigators detail two flights that came extremely close to construction workers on the runway. And United files its response to a lawsuit from passengers who say they paid for a window seat, but all they got was a view of the aircraft sidewall. Listen to the discussion and let us know if you’re also “reasonable people.”
Helpful links for this week’s episode

* FAA requires flight cuts at 40 major airports
* Airline executives skeptical of flight cut justification
* UPS 2976 investigative updates
* FAA grounds MD-11s for inspections
* ATSB report (with video) on pair of close calls at Melbourne

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Please click here for a transcript of this episode.