Flight Delays in the US Expected to Intensify, Transport Secretary Alerts
US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they remain on duty unpaid amid the federal closure, the transport chief has stated.
"The controllers are wearing thin," the official told a news outlet on Sunday, as some flights were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.
After the federal closure on 1 October, flight controllers, who are deemed critical staff, were instructed to keep doing their duties uncompensated.
But some have been missing, causing airports to stop or slow their plane traffic, which has exacerbated delays due to weather and additional factors.
More than three thousand American flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the situation to grow worse.
"I observe the pressure," Duffy said in an interview on Sunday Morning Futures, adding that he had spoken to several controllers to listen to their worries directly.
"They are pursuing side jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, am I able to find another source of income to make ends meet?'" he added.
Duffy added that on the previous day 22 alerts at airfields said travel would be delayed due to a shortage of employees - among the peak after the closure started.
The American federal closure reached its 26th day on the weekend, making it the second-longest halt in history.
He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would reduce the number of aircraft in the air if there is a deficit of safety personnel.
In his conversation, he would not answer straightforwardly when asked if it was safe to travel by air in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to the professionals.
"I need my staff focused on the airspace, not on the finances at home," Duffy stated.
On that day, certain flights were grounded at LAX due to staffing shortages, causing disruption at the fifth-busiest airport in the nation and among the most crowded in the globe, as well as additional travel stretching upward to the city of Oakland.
The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 8:45 AM local time on Sunday. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.
Flights at Newark Airport, however, were delayed an average of 82 minutes due to staffing shortages, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff in the afternoon.
The FAA warned passengers in the state to check with carriers about updated flight schedules.
The issue precedes the third match of the championship, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks before the Thanksgiving break, among the peak times to fly in the US.
Pressure on American aviation helped end a government shutdown in two thousand nineteen. At the time, the shutdown had reached its fifth week and affected airline operations, including pilot training.
It led several flight controllers to remain absent on the identical date on 25 January 2019, temporarily stopping travel at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
On that date, Donald Trump, who at the period was in his first term as leader, consented to approve a short-term spending bill, bringing an end to the government shutdown after 35 days.