Next Generation Air Transportation  System or NextGen, is a new system that uses modern technology and a satellite system that allows aircraft to travel more directly between two points. This new system has the benefit of allowing passengers to get to their destinations faster, and it helps airlines operate much more efficiently. This system allows controllers to track up to 1900 flights, instead of 1100 under the old system ("NextGen Works").

The General Aviation community has spoken against ATC privatization because it requires user fees to access, and that it will eventually restrict access for private pilots when they fly. The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) is one association that opposes ATC privatization. On the flip side, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association is a proponent of ATC privatization. The Association feels that the current system cannot simply keep up with the demand (Wood 2016).  The majority of U.S carriers (with the exception of Delta) want privatization of ATC because they feel that the FAA cannot complete modernization of ATC ( Bachman 2016).

Two major countries that have privatized ATC which are Canada and Britain ("Don't Privatize Air Traffic Control", 2016). In Canada, ATC is operated by a private company called Nav Canada ("Our Services"). In Britain, ATC is provided by NATS ("Air Traffic Control").

The process for privatizing ATC is very bureaucratic. A bill has to be introduced and approved by the house of representatives and the senate to make it official. Recently, a bill that was introduced by two representatives (Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania and Frank Lobiondo,  New Jersey) was voted out ("Don't Privatize Air Traffic Control", 2016). 

I currently have no preference for whether ATC should be privatized or not; I feel that each side has its own benefits and harms. Privatization would be more efficient for air carriers but it could also be harmful for General Aviation. Both are important industries, and a middle ground should be reached that benefits both sides. 

References:

NextGen Works. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved From:   https://www.faa.gov/nextgen/works/

Wood, Janice. Ga Raises Concerns. (2016, February 17).  General Aviation News. Retrieved From: http://generalaviationnews.com/2016/02/17/ga-raises-concerns-over-proposal-to-privatize-atc/

Don't Privatize Air Traffic Control.  (2016, February 15). New York Times. Retrieved From : https://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/15/opinion/dont-privatize-air-traffic-control.html

Our Services. Nav Canada. Retrieved From: http://www.navcanada.ca/EN/about-us/Pages/what-we-do-atc.aspx

Air Traffic Control. NATS. Retrieved From: http://www.nats.aero/about-us/what-we-do/atc-explained/

There are many claims that there is a pilot shortage in the U.S. Some may believe that the reason is that not enough people are willing to fly domestically, I on the other hand believe that the pilot shortage is real and must be addressed. Regional carriers rely on newly graduated pilots to fill the seats in the cockpit, and as soon as they can get hired by the mainline carriers, they jump right to the new job. Mainline carriers offer more incentives and much better pay than their regional counterparts. Because of the airline pilot shortage, these new pilots are finding new careers with the mainline carriers as soon as they meet the minimum standards. This creates a major disadvantage for the regionals because they are not able to find pilots to fly their aircraft. It is forcing them to park their aircraft, and also drop certain routes ("The Coming U.S Pilot Shortage is Real" 2015).
Regional pilots start at about $20000-$30000 when they get hired. I do not think that this is a reason for the pilot shortage. Most aspiring pilots know that the pay significantly goes up after a few years. The problem, I believe is to get more people interested in becoming pilots.
Because the new pilot regulations are so stringent, its costing people a lot of more money to become pilots because of all the hours they need. There are two solutions that I see for this. One solution is to lessen the monetary burden on student pilots. Maybe regional airlines could start cadet programs or offer scholarship programs to help students pay for their flight hours. The regionals in turn could require their students pilots to sign a contract that requires their employed pilots to fly a certain amount of hours before they can quit. The second solution is for the regionals to simply offer better pay to their pilots.
One major organization that represents a big part of the aviation industry employees is the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. They represent about 50000 flight attendants for 18 carriers ("About AFA").
Professionalism can be defined as the method in which a person acts to be in full compliance with his or her career. Professionalism is when a person goes to work fully prepared and ready to meet and exceed the expectations required to complete the job. Professionalism also means that a person behaves in a polite manner at work toward colleagues and customers.
Two ways that the Colgan pilots demonstrated a lack of professionalism was when the first officer went to work knowing she was sick, and not fully capable of doing the job. Another demonstration of lack of professionalism was the fact that the pilot had failed 5 check rides, and still was able to keep his job at Colgan.
I do not feel that the lack of compensation itself contributed to lack of professionalism. The pilots were pushed beyond their limits as shown in the documentary, and at one point they falsified documents in order to make a flight. I think if the pilots were allowed more sick days or were not pushed to complete the job at the expense of safety, then there would be less lack of professionalism.
One way I can expand the level of professionalism as a pilot is to make sure I get adequate sleep so I can be fully rested for a job. Another method for me would be make sure I am polite to my colleagues  such as flight attendants, cleaners, and gate agents. Just because I get paid more, does not mean I can be rude and condescending to other colleagues.

References
About AFA. Association of Flight Attendants-CWA. Retrieved from:                                                                            http://www.afacwa.org/about_afa
The Coming U.S Pilot Shortage is Real. (2015, February 16). Aviation Week Network. Retrieved from: http://aviationweek.com/commercial-aviation/coming-us-pilot-shortage-real

It all began on June 19th, 1993. I was four years old and I was traveling with my mother from Los Angeles to Beirut, with a stop and change of flights in Paris. This is where my passion for the aviation industry began. I was fascinated by the concept of air travel and by airports. This passion continued to grow every time I traveled. The fun for me while going on vacation was getting there and coming back, rather than the vacation itself.
I never really wanted to be a pilot so I decided to go through others programs of studies. I ended up dropping out of college several times after I graduated high school. Once I found out that EMU offered an aviation management program, I decided to go for it. Currently, I am a senior at EMU, and I will be graduating this April.
As for my future plans. I would like to work for one of the major carriers, preferably Delta Air Lines.
I would like to be an inflight manager. My goal is to also pursue a Master's Degree in Finance in order to move up in the company. I would like to work in the finance department because I do also like Math. Currently, I work as a customer service agent for an airport staffing agency, but I would much prefer to work for an airline itself.
Regarding guest speakers, I would like to see a speaker who is an inflight manager, or a person who works in the corporate office for a particular airline. I would like to gain more insight into how airlines operate.