US airports report delays due to government shutdown

By Melanie Sun
Contributing Writer

Major U.S. airports have reported experiencing flight delays amid the shutdown of the federal government. 

Secretary of Transport Sean Duffy told reporters on Monday that air traffic control towers were experiencing staffing issues, with an increasing number of air traffic controllers calling in sick since the shutdown began. 

While some 13,000 controllers have not been furloughed during the shutdown, as they are deemed critical staff, there is no guarantee that they will be paid. There are also some 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers who are still expected to continue working during the shutdown. Their next paycheck is due Oct. 14. 

Duffy said he was receiving reports of varied levels of absenteeism across the nation’s airports, which rely on air traffic controllers from the Federal Aviation Administration to keep the skies safe and operational. He said the department was tracking the staff shortages, which have been reported in “one area in one day, another area another day.” 

Absenteeism has reached up to 50% in one instance, he said. 

According to the FAA, the staffing issues for controllers are impacting flights at numerous airports, including Newark, Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, and Hollywood Burbank. FlightAware said more than 5,500 U.S. flights had experienced delays on Monday, including 32% of arriving flights at Denver, 22% of Newark flights, and 15% of Burbank flights. The weather was also impacting flights. 

While U.S. airspace is currently safe, “If we have additional sick calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people,” Duffy said. “You’ll see more delays, or you might see a cancellation.” 

But he expressed concerns that the “high-skilled, high-performing, safety-driven professionals” will be forced into taking up second jobs if the government shutdown doesn’t end soon. 

“I don’t want them driving Uber. I don’t want them finding a second job to pay the bills. I want them to get paid for the work that they’re doing today, keeping our planes in the air and our skies safe,” Duffy said. 

“It’s time for [Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries] to quit their games and reopen the government,” he posted on X. 

The transportation secretary also said that the job of America’s air traffic controllers was already stressful enough without the distraction of the shutdown, which started on Oct. 1. 

Many controllers are already working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks due to the persistent shortage of trained staff. While the department has been making efforts to address the shortage by training controllers, the FAA is approximately 3,500 air traffic controllers short of its targeted staffing levels. 

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, the union that represents air traffic controllers, told reporters gathered at Newark Airport that the shutdown needs to end so that the momentum gained in addressing the nation’s aviation safety challenges is not disrupted. 

“This work does include fulfilling Secretary Duffy’s goals of accelerating the hiring of air traffic controllers and modernizing our air traffic control system. Both initiatives are long overdue and require our immediate and our full attention,” he said. 

The federal government has been surging training for air traffic controllers through their academy in Oklahoma City, and then at training facilities across the country, which rely on a host of support staff that are at “risk of being laid off,” Duffy had said. 

Daniels said the union was advocating for an end to the shutdown. “We do not have the luxury of time. We do not have time to waste on the unnecessary distractions created by this shutdown. So our message is clear — end the shutdown,” he said. 

The record-long 35-day shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term in 2019 also saw an increase in absences by controllers and TSA officers. At the time, the FAA was forced to slow air traffic in New York, which put pressure on lawmakers to end the standoff quickly. 

Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, said at the time the shutdown was “pushing our airspace to the breaking point.” 

Airline trade group Airlines for America, which represents United, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, warned that during a funding lapse, “the system may need to slow down, reducing efficiency,” and impacting travelers. 

Duffy also warned that the shutdown was putting the Essential Air Service program, which provides subsidies for airline services to regional American communities, at risk. Funding for those services ends Oct. 12. 

“There’s many small communities across the country that will now no longer have the resources to make sure they have air service in their community,” he said of the longstanding program that has bipartisan support. 

“Alaska will be impacted, but every state across the country will be impacted by the inability to provide the subsidies to airlines to service these communities.” 

Reuters contributed to this report. 

The post US airports report delays due to government shutdown  appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.