The US federal government has now officially been shut down for more than two weeks, and the nation’s air travel system is feeling the strain.
Flight delays and cancellations have occurred throughout 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 press conference.
US controllers received a partial paycheck on October 15, and if the shutdown continues to drag on, will be forced to work completely unpaid starting October 28. Air traffic control (ATC) staff are required to work grueling schedules of up to 10-hour shifts six days a week.
But it’s not just sick leave that’s a concern. Controllers working under stress can ultimately become a safety concern, according to leaders of the National Air Traffic Controller Association (NATCA), the union for the majority of ATC professionals in the US. “With this added distraction we will begin to see the introduction of risk into the air traffic control system,” NATCA President Nick Daniels said in an emailed statement. “Some of our lowest paid controllers in some of the highest cost of living areas, and others that live paycheck to paycheck, will—instead of focusing on the stressful work they are paid to perform—be focusing on what they can’t afford to pay. That change in focus introduces risk into the system.”
As of Monday there’s no end in sight to the shutdown. The US Senate has held 10 failed votes on proposed budget resolutions so far. On Thursday, October 16, the Senate adjourned for the weekend until Monday, stretching the standoff into a third week. The next vote on a funding plan that could reopen the government is scheduled to be held at 5:30 p.m. ET on Monday, October 20. This government closure currently ranks as the third-longest in US history.
Along with the immediate effects, the shutdown could have lasting consequences on the nation’s air travel system in the weeks and months ahead, as well as long-ranging impacts that reverberate for years to come. Here’s what travelers need to know.
Flight delays and cancellations rack up
Major US airports have already seen 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 every hour to maintain safety levels. Airports in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Nashville, Newark, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Burbank, California have all had to cut flights due to short staffing at some point during the shutdown, causing delays.
