Colleen Mondor
@chasingray.bsky.social
Aviation journalist, especially on Alaska. Never met a federal database I didn't love. "Probable Cause" newsletter is here: https://colleenmondor.substack.com/
Pinned
#34: We need to talk about Air Traffic Control in America
Many of you have likely noticed that we are experiencing a problem with Air Traffic Control in this county.
colleenmondor.substack.com
We need to talk about ATC.
(Also, I can not believe I have a typo with "county" for "country". I read through this twice!)
(DAMMIT.)
colleenmondor.substack.com/p/34-we-need...
(Also, I can not believe I have a typo with "county" for "country". I read through this twice!)
(DAMMIT.)
colleenmondor.substack.com/p/34-we-need...
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
November 11, 2025 at 1:50 AM
In the century leading up to 1975, nearly 6000 freighters went down in the Great Lakes.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the last.
The last. In 50 years, not a single commercial freighter has been lost in the Great Lakes.
Why?
It's NOAA. Of course it's NOAA.
Aviation is a really complex industry that does a lot of things and aircraft operate under a myriad of rules that are not always obvious.
Saying you want to shut down airports that serve private jets means practically any airport in America.
It’s all very intermingled & can’t be simplified.
Saying you want to shut down airports that serve private jets means practically any airport in America.
It’s all very intermingled & can’t be simplified.
November 10, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Aviation is a really complex industry that does a lot of things and aircraft operate under a myriad of rules that are not always obvious.
Saying you want to shut down airports that serve private jets means practically any airport in America.
It’s all very intermingled & can’t be simplified.
Saying you want to shut down airports that serve private jets means practically any airport in America.
It’s all very intermingled & can’t be simplified.
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
November 10, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Hi writers! I’m looking to assign a couple of features for Slate before the end of the year. If you have anything in mind that you think would be a fit please send me a pitch! Jenée.Desmond- harris@slate.com or dm me.
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
RTs are appreciated so this can reach more people. Thanks!
I wrote this.
If you want a fuller look at backstory on ATC and federal politics, please give it a read.
If you want a fuller look at backstory on ATC and federal politics, please give it a read.
While the Administration is sending mixed messages (Duffy v Trump) about the controllers, this long piece looks at how a long list of presidential administrations have screwed over the FAA and its controllers. leehamnews.com/2025/11/04/a...
As ATC collapses, FAA modernization funding remains elusive - Leeham News and Analysis
By Colleen Mondor Nov. 4, 2025, © Leeham News: The US Air Traffic Control (ATC) system is melting down as the US federal government shutdown takes its toll on an already overstressed, understaffed, un...
leehamnews.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I wrote this.
If you want a fuller look at backstory on ATC and federal politics, please give it a read.
If you want a fuller look at backstory on ATC and federal politics, please give it a read.
Using aviation safety for political gain is nothing new but man, this takes the cake.
Trump to air traffic controllers: "For those that did nothing but complain, and took time off, even though everyone knew they would be paid, IN FULL, shortly into the future, I am NOT HAPPY WITH YOU. You didn’t step up to help the U.S.A. against the FAKE DEMOCRAT ATTACK"
November 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Using aviation safety for political gain is nothing new but man, this takes the cake.
Do I say all the ways in which this is wrong or just roll my eyes and move on?
Also, really Politico? WTF?
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Also, really Politico? WTF?
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
‘REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY’: Trump threatens to replace absent air traffic controllers with ‘true Patriots’
But he promises $10,000 bonuses to controllers who have shown up without fail during the more-than-monthlong shutdown.
www.politico.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Do I say all the ways in which this is wrong or just roll my eyes and move on?
Also, really Politico? WTF?
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Also, really Politico? WTF?
www.politico.com/news/2025/11...
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
If you need me I will be listening to The Killers “Lawyers, Guns & Money” cover on loop
youtu.be/tWrdK1MZEW0?...
youtu.be/tWrdK1MZEW0?...
The Killers | Lawyers, Guns And Money | Full Performance | Live @ The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame 2025
YouTube video by RemasterKingdom4K
youtu.be
November 10, 2025 at 5:48 AM
If you need me I will be listening to The Killers “Lawyers, Guns & Money” cover on loop
youtu.be/tWrdK1MZEW0?...
youtu.be/tWrdK1MZEW0?...
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
I think in our analysis you trust us to take a position but at least analyze the alternative. In this case there is no alternative. There is no political advantage to this deal. None.
November 10, 2025 at 2:10 AM
I think in our analysis you trust us to take a position but at least analyze the alternative. In this case there is no alternative. There is no political advantage to this deal. None.
You can have enormous frustration over the fact that air traffic controllers have to work with no pay, and already were understaffed, while at the same time being furious about Dens caving on healthcare costs. (I am.)
& if you think reopening the govt fixes ATC, you haven’t been paying attention.
& if you think reopening the govt fixes ATC, you haven’t been paying attention.
November 10, 2025 at 12:52 AM
You can have enormous frustration over the fact that air traffic controllers have to work with no pay, and already were understaffed, while at the same time being furious about Dens caving on healthcare costs. (I am.)
& if you think reopening the govt fixes ATC, you haven’t been paying attention.
& if you think reopening the govt fixes ATC, you haven’t been paying attention.
Meanwhile, FAA and NTSB employees - including all air traffic controllers & the investigators down in KY working to understand what happened to the UPS MD-11, are not getting paid.
What is wrong with these people? Why are they pretending that everything is okay?
What is wrong with these people? Why are they pretending that everything is okay?
Trump is in the booth on Fox's NFL broadcast attacking Biden. Woof for all involved.
November 9, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Meanwhile, FAA and NTSB employees - including all air traffic controllers & the investigators down in KY working to understand what happened to the UPS MD-11, are not getting paid.
What is wrong with these people? Why are they pretending that everything is okay?
What is wrong with these people? Why are they pretending that everything is okay?
Opening the government with no concessions from GOP merely to alleviate airline cancellations - when Congress has been dragging its feet for years on chronic FAA staffing issues - is a lame ass choice.
Also, doing it while the House refuses to work is appalling.
Also, doing it while the House refuses to work is appalling.
November 9, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Opening the government with no concessions from GOP merely to alleviate airline cancellations - when Congress has been dragging its feet for years on chronic FAA staffing issues - is a lame ass choice.
Also, doing it while the House refuses to work is appalling.
Also, doing it while the House refuses to work is appalling.
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
Delta approaching 500 mainline cancels today, 14% of its operations. Nearly a third of Southwest ops delayed (likely means cxls later in the day).
"Just like a winter storm" is a cute description of the FAA cuts, but it is on top of an actual winter storm, and will last for many days.
"Just like a winter storm" is a cute description of the FAA cuts, but it is on top of an actual winter storm, and will last for many days.
November 9, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Delta approaching 500 mainline cancels today, 14% of its operations. Nearly a third of Southwest ops delayed (likely means cxls later in the day).
"Just like a winter storm" is a cute description of the FAA cuts, but it is on top of an actual winter storm, and will last for many days.
"Just like a winter storm" is a cute description of the FAA cuts, but it is on top of an actual winter storm, and will last for many days.
Remind me again why a book about the historic politicization of the FAA is not going to be of interest to the American public.
(If I end up having to self publish this thing, which I am working on now, I hope you will but it.)
(If I end up having to self publish this thing, which I am working on now, I hope you will but it.)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that US air travel would come to a virtual standstill during the Thanksgiving holiday season if the government shutdown persists.
Duffy Warns Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Will ‘Slow to a Trickle’
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that US air travel would come to a virtual standstill during the Thanksgiving holiday in late November if the government shutdown persists, as more air-traffic controllers opt not to work without paychecks.
bloom.bg
November 9, 2025 at 6:31 PM
Remind me again why a book about the historic politicization of the FAA is not going to be of interest to the American public.
(If I end up having to self publish this thing, which I am working on now, I hope you will but it.)
(If I end up having to self publish this thing, which I am working on now, I hope you will but it.)
There is a cascade of stresses being put on the national airspace system.
Anyone who know anything about aviation knows what a cascade can do.
Anyone who know anything about aviation knows what a cascade can do.
More than 5,500 flights in the US were delayed or canceled on Sunday as snowy weather in Chicago added to the stress facing airlines on the third day of government-set restrictions
Air Travel Misery Worsens as Chicago Storm Adds to Shutdown Mess
More than 5,500 flights in the US were delayed or canceled on Sunday as snowy weather in Chicago added to the stress facing airlines on the third day of US government-mandated restrictions on air travel.
bloom.bg
November 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
There is a cascade of stresses being put on the national airspace system.
Anyone who know anything about aviation knows what a cascade can do.
Anyone who know anything about aviation knows what a cascade can do.
None of this is a surprise.
Congress, including when Duffy was a congressman, is aware of staffing issues at the FAA (which extend far beyond ATC).
This sort of thing is amply documented.
Fund the agency so it can staff for every position, and STOP ACTING SURPRISED.
Congress, including when Duffy was a congressman, is aware of staffing issues at the FAA (which extend far beyond ATC).
This sort of thing is amply documented.
Fund the agency so it can staff for every position, and STOP ACTING SURPRISED.
"This will live on" -- Duffy explains that flying will remain a mess even after the shutdown because so many air traffic controllers are retiring
November 9, 2025 at 6:25 PM
None of this is a surprise.
Congress, including when Duffy was a congressman, is aware of staffing issues at the FAA (which extend far beyond ATC).
This sort of thing is amply documented.
Fund the agency so it can staff for every position, and STOP ACTING SURPRISED.
Congress, including when Duffy was a congressman, is aware of staffing issues at the FAA (which extend far beyond ATC).
This sort of thing is amply documented.
Fund the agency so it can staff for every position, and STOP ACTING SURPRISED.
If you think this makes life easier for controllers, you are wrong.
The line of air carriers is one thing, plus whatever the heck could pop up out in this mess without proper separation is another. (Remember the Black Hawk?)
We need the govt open. The House needs to return to work. Now.
The line of air carriers is one thing, plus whatever the heck could pop up out in this mess without proper separation is another. (Remember the Black Hawk?)
We need the govt open. The House needs to return to work. Now.
November 9, 2025 at 6:05 PM
If you think this makes life easier for controllers, you are wrong.
The line of air carriers is one thing, plus whatever the heck could pop up out in this mess without proper separation is another. (Remember the Black Hawk?)
We need the govt open. The House needs to return to work. Now.
The line of air carriers is one thing, plus whatever the heck could pop up out in this mess without proper separation is another. (Remember the Black Hawk?)
We need the govt open. The House needs to return to work. Now.
This is a really interesting comparison. I highly recommend “The Cult of We” by Eliot Brown & Maureen Farrell. It’s a very compelling investigation of how We Work fooled so many investors & surfed a wave of dollars on a concept with no actual value or substance.
As skepticism of AI deepens, we keep coming back to this Gary Marcus interview from May — where he argued OpenAI would be “the WeWork of AI.”
@cnbc.com @garymarcus.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/video/2024/0...
@cnbc.com @garymarcus.bsky.social
www.cnbc.com/video/2024/0...
November 9, 2025 at 5:58 PM
This is a really interesting comparison. I highly recommend “The Cult of We” by Eliot Brown & Maureen Farrell. It’s a very compelling investigation of how We Work fooled so many investors & surfed a wave of dollars on a concept with no actual value or substance.
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
This is going to snarl air traffic today! LaGuardia (LGA) facing air traffic controller staffing issues. Flights out of Nashville to LGA being held on ground, likely elsewhere in country, as well.
November 9, 2025 at 5:19 PM
This is going to snarl air traffic today! LaGuardia (LGA) facing air traffic controller staffing issues. Flights out of Nashville to LGA being held on ground, likely elsewhere in country, as well.
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
Fedora man unmasked: Meet the teen behind the Louvre mystery photo
Fifteen-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux has become an internet sensation after an Associated Press photo captured him outside the Louvre on the day of a crown jewels heist.
apnews.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Loving today's news that the mysterious "fedora man" outside the Louvre heist was actually a 15-year-old museum visitor who dresses like a 1940s French detective all the time, just because. apnews.com/article/louv...
It must be exhausting to be an air traffic controller. You have a very stressful job. You’re understaffed & have to work overtime. The govt shuts down & you don’t get paid. And then when Congress (ahem, GOP members) refuse to do their jobs, you will have to save the damn country.
Again.
Again.
GOP SEN. JOHN KENNEDY: It may be 2026 when we'll come out of the shutdown.
REPORTERS: 😳
KENNEDY: I'm not kidding, you guys. I mean, you see what I see. Okay? This shutdown is going to last a long time. What's going to get us out of it?
REPORTERS: 😳
KENNEDY: I'm not kidding, you guys. I mean, you see what I see. Okay? This shutdown is going to last a long time. What's going to get us out of it?
November 8, 2025 at 8:01 AM
It must be exhausting to be an air traffic controller. You have a very stressful job. You’re understaffed & have to work overtime. The govt shuts down & you don’t get paid. And then when Congress (ahem, GOP members) refuse to do their jobs, you will have to save the damn country.
Again.
Again.
You would not believe the number of questions I have about this.
UPS grounds MD-11 fleet after deadly crash at Louisville hub - More on hype.aero
UPS grounds MD-11 fleet after deadly crash at Louisville hub
UPS and FedEx has decided to ground its fleet of MD-11 planes “out of an abundance of caution” after a deadly crash at a UPS global aviation hub in Kentucky.
apnews.com
November 8, 2025 at 7:52 AM
You would not believe the number of questions I have about this.
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
“Everything that Nova Ren Suma promises for WAKE THE WILD CREATURES is found in this riveting narrative that grabs readers in the first pages and never – not once – lets go.” @chasingray.bsky.social reviews @novarensuma.bsky.social
Wake the Wild Creatures by Nova Ren Suma: Review by Colleen Mondor
Wake the Wild Creatures, Nova Ren Suma (Little, Brown 978-1-616-20672-7, $18.99, 384pp, hc) May 2025. YA powerhouse author Nova Ren Suma returns several years after her last luminous and darkly fan…
locusmag.com
November 8, 2025 at 2:00 AM
“Everything that Nova Ren Suma promises for WAKE THE WILD CREATURES is found in this riveting narrative that grabs readers in the first pages and never – not once – lets go.” @chasingray.bsky.social reviews @novarensuma.bsky.social
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
Rumors that UPS MD11 fleet has been grounded are currently supported by ADSB and schedule data; no brown MD11s are flying at the moment - at least six should be airborne to SDF from SJU, TPA, MIA, DFW, MIA, and MSP right now.
November 8, 2025 at 4:39 AM
Reposted by Colleen Mondor
Few people are better positioned than Don Brown to point you toward realistic info on what's happening with ATC right now. Follow @gettheflick.bsky.social for informed, no-BS guidance.
Again, for those that have the time to keep up.
nasstatus.faa.gov
It's real easy to make assumptions. I was a controller at ZTL (Atlanta Center) for 25 years and I can't tell you them implications of every detail. But I can point you towards the data the FAA releases.
(More in the remarks)
nasstatus.faa.gov
It's real easy to make assumptions. I was a controller at ZTL (Atlanta Center) for 25 years and I can't tell you them implications of every detail. But I can point you towards the data the FAA releases.
(More in the remarks)
November 7, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Few people are better positioned than Don Brown to point you toward realistic info on what's happening with ATC right now. Follow @gettheflick.bsky.social for informed, no-BS guidance.
1. From CVR, checklists & briefings were all done.
2. T/O roll uneventful thru speed callouts.
3. 37 secs after T/O thrust called for, repeating bell sounded & continued for next 25 secs until CVR stopped. Crew tried in this time to gain control of aircraft. /1 (Start at ~3 mins for all this.)
2. T/O roll uneventful thru speed callouts.
3. 37 secs after T/O thrust called for, repeating bell sounded & continued for next 25 secs until CVR stopped. Crew tried in this time to gain control of aircraft. /1 (Start at ~3 mins for all this.)
Today’s press briefing, the last on-site briefing youtu.be/MmQLm0GRf88?...
JUST IN: NTSB Holds Press Briefing To Provide Updates On UPS Plane Crash At Louisville Airport
YouTube video by Forbes Breaking News
youtu.be
November 7, 2025 at 9:15 PM
1. From CVR, checklists & briefings were all done.
2. T/O roll uneventful thru speed callouts.
3. 37 secs after T/O thrust called for, repeating bell sounded & continued for next 25 secs until CVR stopped. Crew tried in this time to gain control of aircraft. /1 (Start at ~3 mins for all this.)
2. T/O roll uneventful thru speed callouts.
3. 37 secs after T/O thrust called for, repeating bell sounded & continued for next 25 secs until CVR stopped. Crew tried in this time to gain control of aircraft. /1 (Start at ~3 mins for all this.)