PHILADELPHIA - The new generation of air traffic control technology was fully deployed Monday at Philadelphia International Airport, the first to rely solely on the new system.
STARS, for Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System, allows more planes to fly safely in increasingly crowded air space and reduces the workload for controllers.
"It's like comparing an eight-track tape player to a CD player," said Tom Bayalis, an air traffic controller, as he showed off the crisp, multicolored computer displays in the new Philadelphia terminal radar control center built to house the new system.
WASHINGTON - A federal employees' union said Monday it will ask Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge to let them represent airport security screeners.
The American Federation of Government Employees plans to send a letter to Ridge this week, asking him to overrule a January decision by Transportation Security Administration head James Loy.
"When 9-11 happened, we didn't say, 'Wait a minute, our collective bargaining agreement says we have to do this,'" said Bobby L. Harnage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. "We did what was necessary. This has nothing to do with national security."