Not for nothing, but human beings were not designed to work all night long. Of course, this doesn’t excuse the air traffic controllers who have been making headlines for sleeping on the job during their overnight shifts. One of my first jobs out of college required me to clock into work at midnight. I produced and anchored a morning show for a small CBS news affiliate in Wisconsin, and would typically end my workday at 9:30 a.m. To put it mildly; the hours sucked. I would sleep from noon until 6 or 7 p.m., eat dinner, take a shower and … Continue reading →

There’s been a lot of talk about the new government imposed changes to air traffic controllers’ schedules. I touched on the some of them in a previous post, but failed to go in-depth regarding the fact that controllers can no longer switch schedules “in order for the convenience of them if they are not well-rested.” That’s according to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. During his recent press conference LaHood also mentioned that he would not allow controllers to take naps on the job, despite ongoing input by sleep experts that doing so would benefit overnight workers. Experts from the FAA and … Continue reading →

Now that we’re under a Winter Storm Warning, I’m seriously rethinking our decision not to fly to Hawaii for Easter break. The reality of having to dig out from under 10 inches of snow in late April does that to a person. Still, after hearing about slumbering air traffic controllers, sky-high airfares and TSA employee-run robbery rings, I suppose we’re better off staying home this spring break. If you are planning to jet off to grandma’s house, the beach or Disney this week you might be wondering how you can spare yourself from experiencing a travel nightmare. Here are some … Continue reading →