🔗 Share this article

Travelers across the United States are bracing for increasing delays as workforce gaps at airports further deteriorate during the current federal government shutdown, now entering its seventh consecutive day.

Escalating Worries Over Air Travel Network

Union representatives for air traffic controllers and TSA agents have warned that the situation is likely to deteriorate, with workforce issues reported at multiple major airports including locations such as Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and Philadelphia.

"The risk of wider impacts to the US aviation system continues to increase by the day," stated aviation expert Henry Harteveldt.

He expressed serious worry that if the shutdown continues, it could possibly interfere with millions of Americans' holiday travel arrangements in November.

Flight Delays and Operational Challenges

Workforce gaps, featuring an elevated number of workers taking sick leave, impacted key facilities around New York, Los Angeles and Denver on Monday, resulting in delays for over 6,000 flights nationwide.

• Burbank airport's flight control was briefly shut down and responsibilities were managed by a different location
• The Nashville facility experienced postponements averaging 120 minutes due to workforce challenges
• Chicago's O'Hare showed typical postponements of nearly three-quarters of an hour
• Dallas-Fort Worth had postponements recorded at 30 minutes

Industry Response and Union Position

The primary air traffic controllers union emphasized that it does not support any coordinated activities that could negatively affect the national flight network.

The union clarified that air traffic controllers take their responsibility to ensure passenger security very seriously and participating in any job action could lead to termination of employment.

Official Viewpoint

The Transportation Department head the transportation official alerted that the national flight control network is being harmed from the ongoing government shutdown.

"They aren't only thinking about the airspace," he commented regarding air traffic controllers who are not receiving salaries. "They're concerned about, 'Am I going to get a paycheck'?"

The official noted that many controllers depend on regular income and are unable to manage prolonged durations without payment.

Wider Consequences

According to emergency preparations, roughly 25% of the workforce, or over eleven thousand FAA employees, were temporarily laid off when the shutdown began last week.

However, 13,000 air traffic controllers remain on duty, with recruitment and instruction continuing as well.

Union president Nick Daniels pointed out that the shutdown has highlighted preexisting issues encountered by air traffic controllers, including staff shortages and aging technology.

He explained that the circumstances is especially serious at smaller airports where reduced personnel creates further difficulties.

Despite the widespread delays, aviation analytics showed that roughly ninety-two percent of departures from American airports took off on time as of Tuesday afternoon.

The Federal Aviation Administration had not issued a "workforce threshold" that would reduce the number of flights in and out of airports, indicating that activities were continuing despite the difficulties.