🔗 Share this article

Passengers throughout America are preparing for increasing delays as workforce gaps at airports further deteriorate during the ongoing federal government shutdown, now reaching its seventh day.

Growing Concerns Over Aviation System

Labor leaders for air traffic controllers and security screeners have warned that the situation is expected to worsen, with workforce issues reported at multiple key airports including locations such as Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia.

"The risk of wider impacts to the American air travel network continues to increase by the day," commented aviation expert Henry Harteveldt.

He voiced serious worry that if the shutdown continues, it could possibly interfere with countless American Thanksgiving travel plans in November.

Flight Delays and Operational Issues

Workforce gaps, including an increased rate of workers taking sick leave, affected major airports around New York, Los Angeles and Denver on Monday, resulting in delays for over 6,000 flights nationwide.

• The Burbank facility's air traffic control was temporarily closed and operations were handled by another facility
• Nashville airport experienced postponements averaging 120 minutes due to staffing issues
• O'Hare Airport in Chicago recorded average delays of 41 minutes
• The DFW airport experienced delays logged at 30 minutes

Industry Response and Union Position

The primary air traffic controllers union stressed that it does not endorse any coordinated activities that could adversely impact the National Airspace System.

The union clarified that air traffic controllers value their duty to ensure passenger security very seriously and participating in any job action could lead to removal from federal service.

Government Perspective

The Transportation Department head the transportation official alerted that the country's air traffic control system is suffering damage from the ongoing government shutdown.

"They aren't only thinking about the airspace," he remarked regarding flight controllers who are working without pay. "They're concerned about, 'Am I going to get a paycheck'?"

The official observed that many operators depend on regular income and are unable to manage extended periods without payment.

Wider Consequences

Based on contingency planning, approximately a quarter of the workforce, or over eleven thousand FAA employees, were furloughed when the closure started last week.

Nevertheless, 13,000 air traffic controllers continue working, with hiring and training also ongoing.

Union president Nick Daniels indicated that the closure has emphasized preexisting issues encountered by flight controllers, including workforce gaps and outdated equipment.

He explained that the situation is especially serious at smaller airports where limited staffing creates further difficulties.

Despite the extensive postponements, aviation analytics indicated that roughly 92% of departures from American airports departed as scheduled as of Tuesday afternoon.

The aviation regulator had not issued a "staffing trigger" that would decrease the number of flights in and out of airports, indicating that operations were proceeding despite the difficulties.