Narrative:

An FAA directive should be drafted to require management/supervisor/staff to be responsible to answer incoming phone lines with published public access phone numbers. It is up to individual facilities to decide who will answer the phone. Whenever staff/supervisors are in the facility, these calls should be their responsibility. Also, answering machines should be available to be applied on the published line. I work at a facility where flight data and ground control are combined 100 percent of the time. It is unsafe to have flight data/ground control/ground control answer the phone and deal with non-pertinent business, especially when supervisors are available. In some facilities, supervisor and staff do take the calls. In others they do not. These calls consist of many wrong numbers, harassing noise complaints, personal business, WX forecast requests (something we don't do) and many other non-related requests. We are pressured to be nice, polite, and talkative, and to not hang up on them. Several controllers including myself have been counseled for rude phone manners. FSS and other facilities always use other phone lines. The phone number with its public access in the white pages almost never has anything pertinent to ground control or local control, and should not be answered by them. I believe this phone distraction someday will cause an unfortunate situation. Our qtp (quality through partnership) group (a work group between labor and FAA) will not discuss this issue because management will not allow it onto the agenda.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ANSWERING OUTSIDE PHONE LINES.

Narrative: AN FAA DIRECTIVE SHOULD BE DRAFTED TO REQUIRE MGMNT/SUPVR/STAFF TO BE RESPONSIBLE TO ANSWER INCOMING PHONE LINES WITH PUBLISHED PUBLIC ACCESS PHONE NUMBERS. IT IS UP TO INDIVIDUAL FACILITIES TO DECIDE WHO WILL ANSWER THE PHONE. WHENEVER STAFF/SUPVRS ARE IN THE FACILITY, THESE CALLS SHOULD BE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. ALSO, ANSWERING MACHINES SHOULD BE AVAILABLE TO BE APPLIED ON THE PUBLISHED LINE. I WORK AT A FACILITY WHERE FLT DATA AND GND CTL ARE COMBINED 100 PERCENT OF THE TIME. IT IS UNSAFE TO HAVE FLT DATA/GND CTL/GND CTL ANSWER THE PHONE AND DEAL WITH NON-PERTINENT BUSINESS, ESPECIALLY WHEN SUPVRS ARE AVAILABLE. IN SOME FACILITIES, SUPVR AND STAFF DO TAKE THE CALLS. IN OTHERS THEY DO NOT. THESE CALLS CONSIST OF MANY WRONG NUMBERS, HARASSING NOISE COMPLAINTS, PERSONAL BUSINESS, WX FORECAST REQUESTS (SOMETHING WE DON'T DO) AND MANY OTHER NON-RELATED REQUESTS. WE ARE PRESSURED TO BE NICE, POLITE, AND TALKATIVE, AND TO NOT HANG UP ON THEM. SEVERAL CTLRS INCLUDING MYSELF HAVE BEEN COUNSELED FOR RUDE PHONE MANNERS. FSS AND OTHER FACILITIES ALWAYS USE OTHER PHONE LINES. THE PHONE NUMBER WITH ITS PUBLIC ACCESS IN THE WHITE PAGES ALMOST NEVER HAS ANYTHING PERTINENT TO GND CTL OR LCL CTL, AND SHOULD NOT BE ANSWERED BY THEM. I BELIEVE THIS PHONE DISTR SOMEDAY WILL CAUSE AN UNFORTUNATE SIT. OUR QTP (QUALITY THROUGH PARTNERSHIP) GROUP (A WORK GROUP BTWN LABOR AND FAA) WILL NOT DISCUSS THIS ISSUE BECAUSE MGMNT WILL NOT ALLOW IT ONTO THE AGENDA.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.