Flight delays and cancellations are surging around the country as a result of staff shortages in airports as the government shutdown stretches on, causing thousands of air traffic controllers to work without pay.
Roughly 11,000 air traffic controllers missed paychecks amounting to two weeks of compensation on Tuesday, marking the first time they’ve gone entirely unpaid since the shutdown began on Oct. 1. Controllers, who have been deemed essential employees during the shutdown, are required to continue working even without wages.
“Many of our controllers can make it without this first paycheck. They’ve been in the job 10, 15, 20 years; they’ve planned for days like this,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at a news conference at LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday. He acknowledged, however, that “almost every controller can’t make it two paychecks.”
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Duffy insisted flying remains safe."Oftentimes I'm asked, is the airspace safe? Is it safe to fly? And I will tell you that, yes, it is as safe today as it was two months ago. It's safe,” he said. But he warned that there will likely be more delays if the shutdown continues.
Thousands of flights traveling within the U.S. are already suffering delays each day. There were over 2,700 delays impacting flights within, into or out of the U.S. on Wednesday as of late afternoon on the East Coast, with more than 125 being cancelled. On Sunday, there were nearly 9,000 delays, and 193 cancellations.
Flights leaving Los Angeles International Airport were stopped briefly that day due to staff shortages at a Southern California air traffic facility, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Out of 25 controllers, 11 called in sick, Duffy said. Delays due to staffing were also reported in Chicago, Washington D.C., and New Jersey.
Of all the flight delays on Sunday, 44% were due to air traffic controller staffing shortages, according to Duffy; on Monday, the share was 25%. That’s a significant jump from prior months: So far this year, only 5% of delays were due to air traffic controllers.
Air traffic controllers received a partial paycheck on Oct. 14 for work performed before the shutdown began on Oct. 1, before receiving $0 paychecks on Tuesday.
Hundreds have resorted to seeking additional work to make ends meet as they go without pay during the shutdown, like waiting tables or doing gig work for companies such as DoorDash and Uber. Controllers have also increasingly called in sick in recent weeks, Duffy said in a Sunday interview on Fox News, which he said has led to thousands of flight delays and hundreds more cancellations.
“They should never work a side job, that they should never get off a night shift and then go wait tables,” said Nick Daniels, president of National Air Traffic Controllers Association, at the news conference.
“America’s air traffic controllers are now having to focus on how they put gas in the car, how do they take care of their children, how do they pay for child care,” Daniels said. “That makes the system less safe.”
Roughly 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees also missed their first paycheck on Tuesday, and are also required to keep working. Both TSA workers and air traffic controllers are among the federal workers considered essential for their role in maintaining public safety, along with certain military and law enforcement personnel, among others.
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