Originally Posted by
Phantom Flyer
Tony:
I was referring to a controller on an authorized "fam trip". I am aware of ATC requirements and would not just offer the jumpseat to a controller who was going on vacation with the wife and kids.....
The authorized trips ended Sept 11, 2001. That has not been reinstated, and even if it was, I suspect it would have a lot of restrictions that didn't exist previously.
There has been a steady trickle of whispered promises of the "fam" program returning to ATC, but until there's something concrete, like inclusion in CASS, I wouldn't bet on it.
And like the occasional pilot, controllers are their own worst enemies. When the program was running, there was plenty of abuse. In the "good old days", it might get the offending controller a few days on the beach. Now, they'll get their butt fired. Without question.