Travel frustrations after air traffic controllers call out sick during government shutdown

ARLINGTON, Va. (DC News Now) — The government shutdown is causing headaches for air travelers.

There have been no major issues at local airports so far. There were a couple of hundred delays across Reagan National, Dulles and BWI airports on Tuesday, but that seems to be about average.

Across the country, air traffic controllers calling in sick this week have impacted air travel.

“If you gotta delay flights and cancel flights, that’s what you gotta do, unfortunately, until folks come to the table so we can settle this government shutdown,” said Leah Daughtry.

As essential workers, air traffic controllers have to come to work even if they’re not getting paid.
     
“I think it highlights just the fact of how fragile our system is. Our air traffic controllers, vast majority, continue to show up day in and day out, doing the great job that they always do. The difference is, is we’re working for IOUs right now,” said Mike Christine, eastern regional vice president for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Christine said when they’re short on air traffic controllers, they have to cut back on the number of arrivals and departures.

“I can assure you, during all of this, the skies are safe. Our controllers are doing a phenomenal job,” Christine said. “Again, we just have to mitigate volume complexity, situations like that with the FAA.”

That echoes what U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday about the impact of the shutdown.

“Do I think they’re more stressed right now in our towers? Yes. Is our airspace unsafe? No. If we think there’s issues in the airspace, we will shut it down,” Duffy said.
      
Instead of focusing on planes landing and taking off, controllers in the towers are thinking about how they’re going to feed their families.

“I mean, you have to think about the workers. They have to pay their bills. And right now they’re faced with possibly not having a job,” said Walter Gibson.

Travelers seem to feel safe but frustrated.

“I’m here in the city for another three days, and then go back, so hopefully they have it resolved, but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to be resolved by the end of the week,” said Cheryl Foster.

In 2019, during the last government shutdown, air traffic controllers and TSA officers taking sick days resulted in travel disruptions up and down the East Coast.

So far, there’s no word on any major impacts on security lines.