8,000 flights delayed amid ongoing air traffic control crisis, ETTravelWorld

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More than 8,000 flights were delayed across the United States on Sunday as the absence of air traffic controllers continued to disrupt travel and the federal government shutdown reached its 26th day.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the Federal Aviation Administration experienced staffing issues in air traffic control at 22 locations on Saturday, and added that additional shortages are expected to lead to more flight delays and cancellations in the coming days.

According to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, there were more than 8,000 delayed US flights by 11pm EST on Sunday (0400 GMT Monday), up from about 5,300 on Saturday. Delays have often been higher than average since the government shutdown began on October 1.

Southwest Airlines was delayed 45 percent, or 2,000 flights on Sunday, while American Airlines was delayed nearly 1,200 flights, or a third of its flights, according to FlightAware. United Airlines was delayed by 24 percent, or 739 flights, and Delta Air Lines was delayed by 610 flights, or 17 percent.

About 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work despite not receiving salaries during the shutdown.

An increase in air travel delays and cancellations is being watched closely as observers look for signs that the shutdown is making life more difficult for Americans. That, in turn, could put pressure on lawmakers to break the budget impasse that led to the shutdown.

Duffy told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that the FAA on Saturday had 22 “operators” indicating a shortage of air traffic controllers. That number is “one of the highest we’ve seen in the system” since Oct. 1, he said.

“This is a sign that the controllers are becoming vulnerable,” Duffy said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said ground delay programs were issued due to staffing shortages Sunday at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport, Washington’s Reagan National Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. A ground stop was earlier issued at Los Angeles International Airport, but was later withdrawn.

The Trump administration has warned that flight disruptions will increase with controllers losing their first full paycheck on Tuesday.

Air traffic controllers received a salary two weeks early at 90 percent of their regular salary. But Tuesday’s payday will only be for the first pay period for work in October.

Duffy said probationers facing the prospect of losing federal pay are looking for other sources of income.

“They’re taking second jobs, and they’re looking out there,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is short about 3,500 air traffic controllers below target staffing levels, and many were working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.

In 2019, during the 35-day shutdown, the number of absences of monitors and TSA officers due to workers being late with their paychecks increased, leading to extended wait times at some airport checkpoints. The authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.

Duffy and other Republicans criticized Democrats for opposing a “clean” short-term funding bill with no strings attached. Democrats criticized President Donald Trump and Republicans for refusing to negotiate health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.

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