Air traffic management starting enforcing the new rules with a vengeance. But the honeymoon didn't last long. At this point, such work actions are making only minor ripples in an otherwise smooth-flowing system, but it's a dangerous beginning. The pressure is on for more FAA oversight of air carriers and their maintenance facilities, beefed up airport security, and tighter regulations. To the extent that anyone is paying attention to the FAA's Air Traffic Division, that attention appears to be focused on upgrading the equipment and automation.
Nobody ever seems to talk about the human side of the equation.
But make no mistake. It's not the equipment or the computers that make today's ATC system work. It's the people who move the metal. And when they break, fixing them will be a lot harder than just swapping circuit boards. Anyone who cared enough to watch and listen, however, could have seen it coming a long way off.