The United States federal government has been officially shut down for more than two weeks and the country’s air travel system is feeling the strain.
Flight delays and cancellations have occurred across the country as air traffic controllers, working with delayed paychecks, are calling in sick at slightly higher levels than usual, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a recent report. press conference.
American controllers received a partial pay check on October 15, and if the shutdown continues, they will be forced to work without pay starting October 28. Air traffic control (ATC) personnel must work grueling schedules of shifts of up to 10 hours six days a week.
But it is not just sick leave that is worrying. Controllers working under stress can ultimately become a safety problem, according to leaders of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), the union that represents most ATC professionals in the United States. “With this additional distraction we will begin to see the introduction of risks into the air traffic control system,” NATCA President Nick Daniels said in an emailed statement. “Some of our lowest-paid drivers in some of the highest cost-of-living areas, and others living paycheck to paycheck, instead of focusing on the stressful job they are paid to do, will focus on what they can’t afford. That shift in focus introduces risk into the system.”
As of Monday, there is no end in sight to the closure. So far, the US Senate has held 10 failed votes on proposed budget resolutions. On Thursday, October 16, the Senate adjourned for the weekend until Monday, extending the standoff into a third week. The next vote on a funding plan that could reopen the government is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday, October 20. This government shutdown currently ranks as the third longest in US history.
Along with the immediate effects, the closure could have lasting consequences on the country’s air travel system in the coming weeks and months, as well as far-reaching impacts that will reverberate for years to come. Here’s what travelers need to know.
Flight delays and cancellations accumulate
Major U.S. airports have already experienced significant flight delays due to air traffic controller staffing shortages. When towers are short-staffed, the FAA reduces the number of flights that can take off and land each hour to maintain safety levels. Airports in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Burbank, California, had to cut flights due to staff shortages at some point during the shutdown, causing delays.
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