FAA's Conflict With American Airlines

¶ … FAA's runnings-in with American Airlines shows all the problems of organization that the government faces as well as quite accurately point to the truth of the sentence that the people come last. And yet this sentiment may not be as precisely accurate as seen in first impressions since the FAA's intentions in procrastinating the airline was ultimately for the safety of the people. The only problem was the way in which it was done, indicating all the limitations involved in government organization.

The case study reports that in 2008, the FAA decided to make longstanding evaluation and repairs on the wiring specifications of American Airlines. Federal inspectors had long ago discovered that American Airlines had failed to comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wiring safety requirements that groups of wires need to be tied tightly together at intervals of more than an inch. The surveillance, which should have been done a long time ago, took hours of passenger's time, and, despite the airway placating them left 100,000 angry passengers and an infuriated airline.

The problem traces itself back to government disorganization. And here the problem is deep-rooted.

The federal government itself is organized into various cabinets, bureaus, field offices, and independent agencies that operate its services and execute its missions. Each of these is distinct, and each has its own autonomy and degree of control. The myth of presidential control is largely just that - a myth; instead, government corporations are so varied and diverse that formulating and agreeing to general conclusions is difficult (151).

Franklin D. Roosevelt long ago recognized this fact and pleaded guilty to it when he remarked:

The plain fact is that the present organization and equipment of the executive branch of the Government defeats the constitutional intent that there be a single responsible Chief Executive to coordinate and manage the departments and activities in accordance with the laws enacted by the Congress (160)

Even within each system (i.e. cabinets, bureaus, field offices, and independent agencies), different organizations and procedures apply with administrative analysts long ago having failed in arranging some sort of structure and coordination (155). Perceiving the whole then, the impression that we get is that the executive branch in some state and local governments "is less a branch than a heap of twigs" (157). There is no centrifugal force directed by the president downwards, rather the bodies are all strikingly different each with their own issues and procedures and fragmentation of administration can, and often does, result in power struggles between the different executives, each of them insisting on his or her own way.

To add to the problem, inherent shortfalls compound organizational collapse. For instance: top elected executives rarely have an interest in administrative matters since they are not chosen for managerial ability; there is huge turnover in presidential appointments; executives are mostly restrained in selecting and assembling their team of employees; interdepartmental conflict has notoriously increased to the point that they are characterized by deep disputes; and top-level coordination falls on aides and staff agencies, but this undermines the administration since responsibilities become interspersed and poorly managed whilst there is little motivation to ensure that they are done well (160)

Disorganization is a manifestation of the very top where the White House itself has swelled to the point that it itself has become difficultly to coordinate. Conflict is common, and all the problems evident amongst the other bodies are rife here.

Government has tried in various ways to deal with its problems and to reduce some of the disorganization. The comparatively recent phenomena of e-government where the computer served as medium between citizens and governments relieved a great deal of the government's concerns. Internet helped the government delegate it some of its responsibilities so that people can now file their taxes online, renew their motor vehicle registrations via the Internet, check on traffic congestion, apply for a job, obtain a police report, pay a traffic ticket, or do so many more of the humdrum task that had to be formally done via government visits, online. One can even obtain a divorce online -- from beginning to end (169).

As an example of the level of service that Internet has afforded the government, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) encouraged taxpayers to file their taxes electronically, and found that more than 72 million taxpayers filed online in 2006. This not only saved the IRS tremendous costs of printing, mailing, and processing the returns but also one hundred fold facilitated their organization. In return, taxpayers received their service and refunds faster (170). E. Government, succinctly, has been a tremendous blessing for the government.

Nonetheless, despite their best attempts, the search for organization and coordination is never-ending. Some, as in the case scenario of the airlines complain that government is insensitive to citizens, but the truth is that "no matter how hard they try, government official can never fully solve the coordination problems, and their effort to solve some part of the problem can sometimes create new and unexpected issues" (171).

Sometimes, however, internal corruption plays a part in federal unwieldy bureaucracy. That such is the case was seen by the FAA's holdup of Southwest Airlines where it was found that bribery induced several government inspectors to overlook safety issues several of which could have been critical such as the cracks later discovered in the airplane, one of which extended 3.5 inches. This has not been the first time that the FAA has been condemned of bending safety rules in or to help airlines protect this business, as well as over-emphasizing minor rules to the expense of the public.

It is indubitable that the FAA, akin with all government bodies, had a tough time organizing itself and managing its business as well as deflating its numerous preoccupations so that each of their responsibilities are adequately and effectively met. Nonetheless, in certain areas they are held to blame and Gov. John D. Rockfeller was consequently correct in his criticism: "The FAA" he said," is an agency that's spiraling downward and approaching the losing of the confidence of the American people" (173).