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LAX Passengers Sound Off On Sleepy Air Traffic Controllers

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Passengers at Los Angeles International Airport said on Tuesday they are "afraid to fly" after another air traffic controller was fired for falling asleep on the job.

The Federal Aviation Administration says the controller fell asleep twice while on duty at Seattle's Boeing Field.

The incident comes after two air traffic controllers in Tennessee and Miami were terminated for sleeping on the job.

Transportation secretary Ray LaHood says that the FAA has provided new work rules for air traffic controllers, but that they have a personal responsibility as well.

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"Controllers need to take personal responsibility for making sure they're well-rested and well-trained when they come to those control towers, " LaHood told KNX 1070.

Everyday airport passengers, meanwhile, say the solution is simple.

"They need to give them enough time to rest," one traveler said.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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