Originally Posted by
rickair7777
Government contracts are no shining example of cut-throat competition and efficiency... but they are a darn sight more efficient than .gov bureaucrats and civil slackers doing the same job. I do however suspect that ATC controllers are about as effecient as they're going to get... they work hard, pay is lower than in the past and they're one of the very few groups of civil servants who actually *need* a pension since their retirement age is so low. But I'm certain there's bureaucratic overhead that can be tuned up.
The competition comes into play when you bid for and awarded the contract... you have to come in with better value (no longer just lowest bidder as in the past) to win, and then when the contract is up for renewal you have to compete again.
It's not a monopoly in the economic sense, you're simply executing a limited-duration contract you already competed for and won.
Originally Posted by
rickair7777
Most other countries outsource ATC. You could easily outsource harbormaster and I'm sure some of them are.
I know as fact that Columbia River pilots are contractors, very well paid and you don't hear about them running tankers aground.
What's funny about this is that some topics which used to be Sonic's fringe rants are now looking more likely than not
The first bid might have competition, thereafter there would only ever be one bidder, the one that won the first bid, because no company could take over from scratch competitevely. What you would be doing privatizing ATC would be like setting up private toll roads. The government set up this whole ATC system, and now you let someone buy it with the promise they will maintain it, and charge the airlines for doing so. You would expect that company to invest and improve that system. Now it is time for a renewal bid. Do you expect the other bidders to pay the old company for those improvements? If you don't, there is a very high barrier to improvements, if you do there is a very high barrier to competition. And having multiple companies running a patchwork of centers is IMO an even worse idea. The only ones I know that are not straight .gov are NavCan and EuroControl. Neither have renewal bidding, and EC is pretty much an EU civil service. Both are monopolies.
The Colombia River pilots is an association of about 45 pilots, who are licensed by the state, again, a monopoly, and very regulated, no contract renewal by anybody else since 1899.
Source for the most other countries outsourcing ATC would be nice.