Flight delays and cancellations are likely across the country in the coming days as nearly half of America’s busiest airports face staff shortages due to the government shutdown that entered Day 32 today, November 1. Up to 750,000 federal workers were temporarily suspended from their jobs due to the government shutdown, while hundreds of thousands worked without any pay; many even took second jobs to survive the shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Friday, Oct. 31, that nearly 50 percent of the 30 busiest U.S. airports are facing a shortage of air traffic controllers. This resulted in flight delays across the country.
In New York, 80 percent of air traffic controllers were out of action, the agency said. At least 35 FAA facilities, including several at the largest U.S. airports, have reported staffing problems.
Affected airports included facilities in New York, Austin, Newark, Phoenix, Washington, Nashville, Dallas and Denver. At some airports, delays averaged one hour or more. Also read | Traveling to the US? Pack your “patience” as flight delays are the “new normal” during the US government shutdown
The shutdown left 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without pay. The FAA said, “After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue.”
“The shutdown must end so these controllers get the pay they’ve earned and passengers can avoid further disruptions and delays,” he added.
Flight delays and cancellations
According to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, over 5,600 flights were delayed and 500 canceled on Halloween.
At New York’s LaGuardia Airport, 50 percent of flights were delayed and 12 percent canceled, with delays averaging 140 minutes, while at Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, a quarter of flights were delayed.
More disruption is likely to come as the deadlock between Republicans and Democrats continues. The government shutdown began on Oct. 1 and continued as a federal funding bill stalled in Congress.
“After this weekend and then a week later, I think you’re going to see even more airspace disruption,” said US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
Staffing shortages also affected airports in Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington, DC, where 7,300 flights were delayed and 1,250 canceled.
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have all called on Congress to quickly pass a temporary funding bill known as a “continuing resolution” to allow the government to reopen talks on health policy disputes.
