FAA Sends a Warning to All Travelers

As the federal government shutdown continues, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a warning to travelers about the delays and cancellations they could face during their travels as a result of that shutdown.

Shutdown Impacts Air Travel

The impact of the government shutdown has varied greatly across different industries, with some feeling little to no impact while others are substantially impacted. The airline industry has certainly felt those impacts.

As a result of the government shutdown, Reuters reports that around 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are currently working without pay.

As the shutdown continues, staffing shortages within those agencies are becoming an increasing issue as workers increasingly cannot afford to go without a paycheck and seek other opportunities.

FAA Warns of Delays Due to Staffing

Over the weekend, thousands of flights were canceled across some of the biggest and busiest airports in the United States, and the FAA warned that staffing issues were causing many of these delays.

The Federal Aviation Administration said that air traffic control staffing issues were to blame for travel at airports in Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, Las Vegas, and Phoenix and warned that these delays could continue.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated that 53% of flight delays during a week-long period earlier this month were due to staffing issues, when that number is around 5% normally.

According to Reuters, the FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, and many had been working mandatory overtime and six-day workweeks even before the government shutdown.

Needless to say, if the government shutdown continues, these staffing issues will only get worse.