Airports manage staff as government shutdown delays flights
Despite the government shutdown, essential businesses and staff are working at the airport. As the closure continues, the risk of aircraft delays remains.
- The FAA reported that air traffic control staffing issues are causing aircraft delays in several major U.S. cities.
- It’s unclear whether staffing issues are directly caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
- Despite staffing concerns, one aviation data firm said flight performance remained average to above average.
Air traffic control staffing issues are causing travel delays at airports in Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Newark, the Federal Aviation Administration announced late Sunday, Oct. 19, amid the third longest U.S. government shutdown on record.
However, it is not clear whether the problem is directly related to the closure.
The FAA has had long-standing staffing problems, and air traffic controllers were routinely forced to work long overtime hours before the shutdown began.
More than 82% of flights departed on time in the U.S. during the first 17 days of the shutdown, according to aviation data analysis firm Cirium. According to Cirium’s press release, this is average or above-average performance for the national airspace.
“We have not seen any decline in performance at the following major airports,” company spokesman Mike Arnott said in a statement. “The deterioration in flight conditions is likely due to recent weather in the Northeast and is nothing that would normally be reported to reporters.”
He added that flight cancellations were also still very low.
Still, the FAA said there were numerous staffing requests for the Sunday night shift, and flights could also be delayed in Las Vegas and Phoenix due to the absence of air traffic control.
FlightAware said more than 5,800 flights were delayed on Sunday. Weather issues and the F1 race in Austin also affected flights.
More than 20% of American Airlines and Southwest Airlines flights were delayed Sunday, according to FlightAware.
About 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration employees are required to work during the government shutdown but are not paid.
More than 23,000 flights were delayed in one week earlier this month, and Transport Secretary Sean Duffy said 53% of flight delays were due to staffing issues, up from the usual 5%, but staffing issues had improved significantly in the last week.
Air traffic control has become a source of controversy over the shutdown, with both sides blaming the other. Trade unions and airlines are calling for an early end to the conflict.
The Trump administration has shown videos criticizing Democrats at security checkpoints at some airports, but many airports have refused to do so.
During the 35-day closure period in 2019, unpaid employee salaries led to increased absenteeism among air traffic controllers and TSA officers, and extended wait times at checkpoints at some airports. Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington, and pressure mounted on lawmakers to quickly resolve the standoff.
Contributor: David Shepardson, Reuters
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and can be reached at zwichter@usatoday.com.
