Ongoing government shutdown continues disrupt flights Sometimes pressure is put on air traffic controllers unpaid work.
Airports in Phoenix, Houston and San Diego reported flight delays Friday night due to staffing issues, and the Federal Aviation Administration warned that airports in the New York area, Dallas and Philadelphia could also experience staffing issues.
A day earlier, flights at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, New Jersey’s Newark Airport and Washington’s Reagan National Airport were all delayed for the following reasons: air traffic controller shortage. The number of flight delays nationwide for any reason surged to 6,158 on Thursday, compared with around 4,000 daily flight delays earlier in the week, according to FlightAware.com.
Many FAA facilities are severely short of controllers, and just a few absences can cause disruption, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said, adding that more air traffic controllers have called in sick since the government shutdown began. Airports across the country experienced numerous disruptions in the early days of the shutdown, but in the past few weeks, there haven’t been as many problems.
Duffy said disruptions and delays will only get worse when payday arrives next week on Tuesday and “their paycheck is going to be a big zero.” He said controllers told him they were worried about how they would pay their bills and were frustrated by the closure.
“I think the pressure our controllers are under right now is unacceptable,” he said at a news conference Friday at the Philadelphia airport.
Duffy said the closure was having real consequences, as some Controller College students had decided to abandon the career because they didn’t want to work an unpaid job.
That will only make it harder for the FAA to hire enough controllers to eliminate the shortage, since training takes years. He said the government would run out of funds to pay students at the college in another week or two.
“We’re getting word right now from the academy in Oklahoma City that some of the younger controllers in the academy and some of the guys who were offered seats in the next academy are leaving. They’re leaving,” Duffy said. “They ask themselves, why would I want to be in a career where I can work hard but potentially not get paid?”
Duffy was joined by Nick Daniels, president of the Air Traffic Controllers Union. He said some controllers were already taking on second jobs: door panel Or drive for Uber to earn cash to help pay their bills while the government shutdown continues.
“As the shutdown continues, air traffic controllers are not being paid for the important work they do day in and day out, which leads to unnecessary distractions,” Daniels said. “They can’t focus 100 percent on their jobs, which makes the system less safe. Every day this shutdown continues, we will be less safe tomorrow than we are today.”
Airlines and airports across the country have begun purchasing meals for controllers and connecting them with food banks and other services to help them get through the downtime.
The biggest concern is that new controllers may make less than $50,000, but even experienced controllers working six days a week and making well over six figures may be living paycheck to paycheck without much cushion in their budgets. Daniels said it’s unfair that controllers face impossible choices about whether to pay rent, child care or groceries.
Duffy says air traffic controllers are abusing sick leave during government shutdown may be fired.
Republicans and Democrats have Unable to reach agreement Ending the shutdown that began on October 1st. Major unions at airlines and across the industry have urged Congress to reach a deal to end the shutdown.
Capt. Jason Ambrosie, president of the Airline Pilots Association, said in a letter to members that he has concerns about air traffic controllers and other federal employees.
“The safety of millions of passengers and tens of thousands of tons of cargo rests in the hands of these workers. Worrying about how they will pay their mortgage or pay for daycare is additional stress they don’t need,” Ambrosi said.
Rep. Sam Graves, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, urged Democrats to support Republican bills to provide government funding to help ensure the safety of the flying public.
“Our aviation system has been operating safely throughout the shutdown, but this has placed incredible and unnecessary stress on the system and on our air traffic controllers, flight crews and many other aviation professionals,” said Graves, a Missouri Republican.
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AP airline and consumer travel reporter Rio Yamat contributed to this report.