Wired News: As Congress Stalls, Air Traffic Creeps Toward Gridlock

From Wired News:

Congress still hasn't agreed on how to fund the Federal Aviation Administration, which means the agency will keep muddling through on a shoestring budget that keeps the lights on but does nothing to prevent the airtraffic meltdown everyone knows is coming. There's little chance Congress will approve a reauthorization package before the stop-gap measure that's been paying the bills expires in March. The reauthorization lays out a blueprint for meeting the air transportation system's needs and creates the mechanism to pay for it. Another six-month extension would cover the FAA's operating expenses,but it wouldn't finance the improvements that must be made. Topping the list is the NextGen air traffic control network that will replace a system built on World War II technology. Getting the $20 billion system in place is imperative.Without it, the FAA says the nation's air traffic control system will be effectively gridlocked by 2015.