🔗 Share this article

Passengers throughout America are bracing for growing delays as airport staffing shortages further deteriorate during the current federal government shutdown, now entering its seventh consecutive day.

Growing Concerns Over Aviation System

Union representatives for air traffic controllers and security screeners have cautioned that the situation is expected to worsen, with workforce issues documented at several key airports including locations such as Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Nashville and Philadelphia.

"The risk of broader effects to the American air travel network is growing by the day," stated travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.

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

Travel Disruptions and Operational Issues

Staffing shortages, including an elevated number of employees calling in sick, affected key facilities around Denver, Los Angeles and New York on Monday, causing postponements affecting more than 6,000 flights across the country.

• The Burbank facility's air traffic control was briefly shut down and operations were handled by another facility
• The Nashville facility experienced postponements averaging 120 minutes due to staffing issues
• Chicago's O'Hare recorded typical postponements of 41 minutes
• Dallas-Fort Worth had delays logged at 30 minutes

Sector Reaction and Labor Stance

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association stressed that it does not endorse any coordinated activities that could adversely impact the National Airspace System.

The union clarified that air traffic controllers take their responsibility to ensure passenger security very seriously and engaging in any job action could result in removal from federal service.

Official Viewpoint

Transportation Secretary the transportation official warned that the country's air traffic control system is suffering damage from the continuing federal closure.

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

He observed that many operators depend on regular income and are unable to manage prolonged durations without compensation.

Wider Consequences

Based on contingency planning, approximately a quarter of the employees, or more than 11,000 aviation administration workers, were temporarily laid off when the shutdown began last week.

Nevertheless, 13,000 air traffic controllers remain on duty, with recruitment and instruction also ongoing.

Union president Nick Daniels pointed out that the closure has highlighted existing challenges faced by flight controllers, including workforce gaps and aging technology.

He clarified that the situation is especially serious at regional facilities where limited staffing creates further difficulties.

Regardless of the widespread delays, aviation analytics indicated that roughly 92% of flights departing from US airports took off on time as of Tuesday afternoon.

The aviation regulator had not activated a "workforce threshold" that would reduce the number of flights in and out of airports, suggesting that operations were continuing despite the difficulties.