Information Technology Manager
Phil Yanchulis: pyanchulis@natcadc.org; 202-220-9815
Associate Director of Public Affairs, Art & Design
Laura Roose: lroose@natcadc.org; 202-220-9814
Senior Social Media Associate
Meagan Roper: mroper@natcadc.org; 202-220-9813
Outreach and Special Events Coordinator
Megan Seidman: mseidman@natcadc.org; 202-266-9851
Public Affairs Specialist
Sarah Zilonis: szilonis@natcadc.org; 202-266-9844
Web Specialist
Dan Whall: dwhall@natcadc.org; 202-266-9857
Administrative Assistant for Public Affairs
Pauline Hines: phines@natcadc.org; 202-266-9846
WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM FAA ATO COO TERI BRISTOL
Jan. 26, 2018
And the Oscar Goes to ... LAX!
Hi everyone,
I want to start out by saying how glad I am we are all back at work. Though the
government shutdown was brief, I understand how interruptions can affect ongoing
projects, and I appreciate your efforts to quickly recover. Thanks to everyone who
ensured the shutdown didn't impact immediate operations and passengers could keep
their travel plans.
No matter the root cause, even small disruptions in flight plans matter a lot to
passengers. I spend quite a bit of time in airports, and it's always interesting to hear
what passengers around me say when their flight is delayed. Sometimes they attribute it
to the weather, or poor planning by the airline, or even to the FAA. But often, as we in
the ATO know well, multiple factors can contribute to an issue, and that can create a
snowball effect, especially at our most complex airports.
About a year ago, we had a perfect storm of events turn into a bad day at Los Angeles
International Airport, in what I think would be fair to describe as just shy of complete
gridlock. A number of factors came into play, including high volume, a shortened runway
due to construction, and rain and winds forcing the tower into an unfavorable runway
configuration. We immediately decided we couldn't have another day like that at our
nation's third busiest airport, so one of our senior leaders went to LAX to meet with local
leaders and assess the situation.
