Money. That is what the Federal Aviation Administration says it is about. Run it like a business is the new management mantra. Retirements, pay cuts, new hires and national security are really what it is about.

What is the cost of the air traffic controller work force to the flying public? If one were to purchase a ticket from Bangor to Los Angeles on flights that go through Boston, the cost would be less than one-quarter of one penny a mile. That is all. After flying 3,000 miles, one will have spent more for a latte and pastry in the airport cafeteria than for the services required for a safe and secure flight across the continental United States.

The responsibilities of air traffic controllers are considerable. When an oversight or mistake causes injury or death, the controller’s actions will be scrutinized. Audio tapes will be retrieved, drug tests administered and interviews conducted.

A small oversight or misunderstanding between controllers and pilots can lead to disaster. In March 1977, two Boeing 747s collided in the Canary Islands at the Tenerife airport. Two jumbo jets were destroyed. The death toll was more than 560.

There is not any other job where a moment of indecision or miscommunication can have such tragic consequences. Even a heart surgeon, who may earn $1 million annually, can only lose one patient on the operating table at a time.

How efficient is the FAA at managing controllers? Remember, the goal is to run it like a business. In Anchorage, Alaska, there are 124 air traffic controllers. The local management team at this satellite facility numbers 31. The cost of this management team is more than $6 million a year. I do not know what business plan the FAA is using, but one manager per four employees seems counterproductive.

Why will people retire? The FAA’s proposal only allows pay raises for 4 percent of the current work force. The other 96 percent will either: a) have pay frozen for five years, or b) have a pay cut then have their salaries frozen for five years. The controllers at Bangor will fall under plan B. That is why the FAA’s current proposal encourages controllers eligible to retire to do just that.

Nine of 19 controllers in Bangor will be eligible to retire by December 2007. Three controllers will be retiring before Jan. 31, 2007 regardless of the contract decision. When the facility becomes understaffed, the FAA will attempt to close the tower from midnight to 5 a.m. This was attempted in March 2005. The facility was able to put together an argument to keep the facility open 24 hours. The argument will be tougher next time with inadequate staffing.

Two airlines transporting U.S. troops have told the airport management if the tower is not available 24-7, they will relocate all operations elsewhere. Since Gander, Newfoundland, and Halifax, Nova Scotia, are along the route of most trans-atlantic flights, it appears Canada would be the biggest beneficiary of the FAA’s contract proposal, not the U.S. taxpayers. It seems unpatriotic to me that troops returning home from Iraq first set foot on North American soil in Canada. As past history has shown, once an air carrier leaves Bangor, they do not return.

What about new hires and replacements? Certainly the FAA has a hiring plan. You would think so. The agency hired 13 air traffic controllers nationwide in 2004. The FAA has established a program called the Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) with several private colleges. After four years of college, the FAA will hire some of the candidates to attend the FAA academy. Starting pay is $8.84 an hour. Bangor has no controller trainees at this time.

What happens when the policy within the agency is set by people without operational experience? National security is put at risk. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association vigorously opposed the FAA’s attempt to eliminate primary radar in the National Airspace System. Primary radar is what is sometimes referred to “painting a target.” It is the actual reflection of the aircraft without electronic enhancements such as a transponder.

The administration tried numerous avenues to thwart the argument presented by the professional controller work force. Had the FAA succeeded in their argument, air traffic controllers would not have been able to track the hijacked aircraft on 9-11.

We need Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins to support S. 2201, the FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution Act of 2006.

Wesley E. Leighton is an air traffic control specialist in Bangor.