Pilot warns of 'aging infrastructure' after FAA's nationwide ground stop

CHARLIE: THANK YOU, MADISON. AND WITH THAT, LET'S BRING IN. AVIATION ANALYST AND COMMERCIAL. PILOT KEN CHRISTIANSON. GREAT TO HAVE YOU ON THIS. MORNING, THANKS FOR JOINING US. OBVIOUSLY, WE'RE GLAD THAT THERE. WERE NO INJURIES OR ANYTHING. LIKE THAT YESTERDAY, BUT TO WHAT. DEGREE DOES WHAT HAPPENED. YESTERDAY UNDERSCORE. VULNERABILITIES IN OUR SYSTEM? >> MORNING, CHARLIE. THE VULNERABILITIES IN THE.

SYSTEM ARE, AGAIN, SORT OF WHAT. SECRETARY DUFFY HAD SPOKEN TO. EARLIER. WE HAVE AN AGING INFRASTRUCTURE. WE'VE KNOWN THIS SINCE 1999, AND. WE CONTINUE TO TALK ABOUT IT, MAKE INCREMENTAL FIXES, BUT. WE'RE NOT LOOKING ATE IN. TOTALITY -- AT IT IN TOTALITY TO. GET EVERYBODY ON BOARD TO FIX. THIS. SO THIS KEEPS RAISING ITS HEAD. EVERY YEAR, EVERY TWO YEARS, AND. IT'S A PROBLEM.. THE PASSENGERS WERE SAFE.

YESTERDAY LANDING, BUT THIS CAN, THIS CAN BE FIXED, AND IT SHOULD. BE FIXED. CHARLIE: SO IS IT SAFE TO FLY? >> IT IS, IT IS SAFE TO FLY. NOW, WITH THIS COMMUNICATION. OUTAGE IT IS NOT THE SAME LEVEL. OF SAFETY, SO YOU DO INDUCE SOME. RISK. FOR INSTANCE, IF THE PLANE -- WE. DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF WEATHER. ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. YESTERDAY. THAT WAS A HELP. HOWEVER, IF ANY OF THE AIRPLANES. THAT WERE IN THE AIR HAD AN. IN-FLIGHT EMERGENCY, LOST AN.

ENGINE OR HAD A MECHCHANICAL ISE. WHERE THEY WOULD HAVE TO GETTER. TO ANOTHER AIRPORT, THAT COULD. HAVE BEEN MORE PROBLEMATIC. NOW, THE CREWS ARE TRAINED FOR. THIS AND THEYING WORK TOGETHER, BUT ANYTIME YOU HAVE A -- THEY. WORK TOGETHER, BUT ANYTIME YOU. HAVE A DEGRADED SYSTEM, IT. DOESN'T GIVE YOU THE SAME LEVEL. OF SAFETY THAT YOU WOULD HAVE. WHEN IT'S FULLY FUNCTIONAL. CHARLIE: YOU LOSE SOME OF THE. REDUNDANCIES. WE'RE COMING UP ON THANKSGIVING. OBVIOUSLY, THAT'S ALWAYS ONE OF. THE BUSIEST TRAVEL DAYS OF THE. YEAR. DO YOU HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT.

AIRPORTS CAN HANDLE THE HOLIDAY. RUSH? >> I HAVE CONFIDENCE BECAUSE THE. PROCEDURES WORK. WE SAW THAT YESTERDAY. BUT, YOU KNOW, CUSTOMER. CONVENIENCE, YOU KNOW, IT'S SAD. AND PEOPLE GET STUCK AND PLANS. GET RUINED, BUT IT'S BETTER TO. BE ON THE GROUND WISHING YOU. WERE IN THE AIR THAN IN THE AIR. WISHING YOU WERE ON THE GROUND. CHARLIE: RIGHT. SO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE GOING. FORWARD TO KEEP THIS FROM. HAPPENING AGAIN? >> I THINK THERE HAS TO BE A.

BIPARTISAN BUY-IN AND TREAT THIS. LIKE THE MANHATTAN PROJECT. IT'S FIXABLING. FIXABLE. LOOK AT THE FRUIT YOU WOULD GET. IF THE SYSTEM WORKED GREAT. CONTROLLERS WOULD LIKE IT, PASSENGERS WOULD LIKE IT, THE. PILOTS WOULD LIKE IT, AIRLINES. WOULD LIKE IT. AIRLINES DON'T LIKE LOSING. REVENUE, AND PASSENGERS DON'T. LIKE LOSING THEIR FLIGHTS. SO IT'D BE A WIN/WIN FOR. EVERYBODY, AND IS WE'D GET A. BETTER ELEMENT OF SAFETY. CHARLIE: YEAH. IT IS INTERESTING THIS HAPPENS A. WEEK AFTER VOTERS SAID THAT THEY.

REALLY WANT DIVIDED GOVERNMENT. WE HAVE DIVIDED GOVERNMENT --. [LAUGHTER]. COMING UP, AND YOU WOULD THINK. THAT THIS WOULD BE ONE OF THOSE. THINGS THAT ACROSS PARTISAN. LINES BOTH PARTIES COULD WORK. TOGETHTHER ON TO ACTUALLY GET. FIXED. >> I WOULD HOPE SO. EVERYBODY FLIES JUST LIKE. MICHAEL JORDAN'S QUOTE, REPUBLICANS BUY SHOES TOO. EVERYBODY FLIES. CHARLIE: YEAH. AND IN PARTICULAR, WHEN YOU HAVE. ONE PARTY THAT'S COMING INTO. POWER THAT REALLY LOVES.

GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT IN. EVERYTHING, YOU'D THINK THAT. THEY WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF MAKING. THIS PART OF GOVERNMENT -- A. PART OF GOVERNMENT THAT, I. THINK, HOST AMERICANS AGREE THE. FEDERAL IF GOVERNMENT HAS A ROLE. IN TO ACTUALLY MAKE IT WORK. EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY. >> YEAH, I AGREE. YOU KNOW, THIS IS, AGAIN, THIS. IS A WIN/WIN FOR EVERYBODY, AND. YOU CAN'T JUST KEEP WHAT YOU. HAD. YOU HAVE TO UPGRADE.

AND JUST LIKE A SOFTWARE UPGRADE. SOUNDS SIMPLE, BUT SOME OF THIS. IS MECHANICAL. THINK OF THE OLD ROTARY DIAL. PHONES. THERE IS NO APP TO UPGRADE THAT. SOFTWARE. YOU PHYSICALLY HAVE TO CHANGE. THAT TO A NEWER SYSTEM AND THEN. DO UPGRADES ALONG THE WAY, AND. WE HAVE A MIX OF BOTH RIGHT NOW. CHARLIE: HOW LONG DO YOU EXPECT. THTHIS WILL TAKE TO SHAKE OUT IN. TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, THE DELAYS. THAT ARE STILL KIND OF, THAT. HAVE TO KIND OF RIPPLE OUT? >> I THINK WE'LL BE IN BETTER.

SHAPE MAYBE LATE MONDAY, TUESDAY. WE SHOULD BE LOOKING PRETTY. GOOD. WE HAD THE BENEFIT OF IT GOING. OVER THE WEEKEND, SO I THINK. WE'LL GET IT FIXED OVER THE. WEEKEND. REMEMBER, FRIDAY WAS JUST A. NORMAL TRAVEL DAY. CHARLIE: RIGHT. >> THERE WASN'T ANYTHING SPECIAL. ABOUT FRIDAY, SO THE OVERLOADIN-. CHARLIE: EVERYTHING WENT. SMOOTHLY. IT WASN'T UNTIL THE AFTERNOON --. [LAUGHTER]. LUCKILY, THOSE OF US WHO CAUGHT. A FLIGHT IN THE MORNING WERE. JUST FINE. >> YEAH. SO I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE. OVERLOADING FACTOR, BUT, LOOK,

POST-FOR INSTANCE ECLY, THESE. GUYS ARE SMART. THEY'LL DO A DEEP DIVE AND SEEEE.