Flight Disruptions in the US Expected to Intensify, Transport Secretary Warns
US air traffic controllers are increasingly seeking second jobs and calling in sick, as they continue to work without pay during the federal closure, the transportation secretary has stated.
"The controllers are becoming strained," Sean Duffy informed Fox News on the weekend, as certain aircraft were grounded on the Californian coast due to staffing shortages.
After the government shut down on 1 October, air traffic controllers, who are deemed essential workers, were told to keep doing their duties without pay.
But a number have been absent, causing terminals to stop or slow their flight operations, which has exacerbated delays caused by weather and other issues.
More than three thousand US flights were postponed on the weekend, and the secretary said he anticipates the circumstances to grow worse.
"I observe the pressure," he remarked in an discussion on a weekend program, adding that he had spoken to multiple professionals to listen to their worries directly.
"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking, 'Can I drive Uber, can I secure an alternative of earnings to cover expenses?'" he added.
The secretary added that on Saturday 22 alerts at airports indicated travel would be delayed due to a shortage of workers - among the peak after the shutdown started.
The American federal closure entered its 26th day on the weekend, rendering it the second-longest halt in history.
He has repeatedly warned that flight authorities would slow down the quantity of planes in the air if there is a shortage of security staff.
In his interview, he would not answer directly when questioned if it was safe to fly in the United States, and instead made a personal plea to the professionals.
"I require my staff concentrating on the flight paths, not on the finances at their households," Duffy stated.
On that day, some planes were grounded at Los Angeles International Airport due to employee deficits, causing disruption at the fifth most active airport in the nation and one of the busiest in the globe, as well as additional travel extending north to the metropolis of Oakland.
The Federal Aviation Administration notice went out at 8:45 AM local time on the weekend. Numerous trips were operating normally by midday.
Travel at Newark Airport, however, were postponed an mean of over an hour due to personnel issues, and the authority indicated DFW, the second most active airport in the country, could encounter difficulties from reduced staff later in the day.
The agency advised passengers in the state to consult carriers about updated departure times.
The issue precedes Game 3 of the World Series, which is scheduled in LA on Monday night, and approximately four weeks prior to the Thanksgiving break, one of the busiest times to travel by air in the United States.
Strain on American aviation contributed to ending a government shutdown in 2019. At the time, the halt had entered its fifth week and affected airline operations, including aviator instruction.
It led a number of air traffic controllers to stay home on the same day on January 25, 2019, temporarily stopping travel at New York's LaGuardia airport.
On that date, the former president, who at the period was in his first term as president, agreed to sign a temporary funding measure, effectively ending the federal closure after thirty-five days.
