US Air Travel Delays Stack Up as Shutdown Strains Staffing
New York, New Jersey, Texas and Washington, D.C., Airports Plus Others Have Been Affected as Shortage of Air Traffic Controllers Drags On
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U.S. air travel is beginning to show signs of strain as the government shutdown drags on, with traffic controller shortages snarling thousands of flights into the weekend.
Flights into New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport were temporarily halted Oct. 31 due to staffing constraints. Traffic was also slowed at other airports throughout the day, including at LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, Boston Logan International Airport, and in Austin and Nashville.Ìý
That follows disruptions at Newark and JFK on Oct. 30. Airports serving Dallas-Fort Worth and Washington experienced similar hiccups earlier Oct. 30.
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At one point, the Federal Aviation Administration warned travelers Oct. 30 that there would likely be a stretch of time where no flights would be able to land in Orlando, Fla., because no controllers were available. It later revised that assessment, after saying it had increased staffing.
The air travel problems come as officials, including Vice President JD Vance and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, cautioned that a prolonged government shutdown could snarl air travel into the busy Thanksgiving travel season.
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Flight disruptions have emerged as a flash point in the shutdown debate, with Vance and Duffy joining airline executives in calling on Congress to come together to reopen the government.
Data from aviation analytics companyÌýCiriumÌýshows poor on-time departure performance Oct. 30 at many major airports, including the main ones serving the New York area: JFK, LaGuardia and Newark.
At all three, about 60% of flights departed on time, when the target is normally 80%. There was also an increase in cancellations at many airports, according to the data.Ìý
This is the first data release since the shutdown began that shows significant signs of a widespread slowdown, though overall performance in October is relatively similar to last month. Bad weather also contributed to flight disruptions Oct. 30. Ìý
Airlines delayed more than 7,300 U.S. flights Oct. 30 and canceled 1,200 more, according toÌýdataÌýfrom flight-tracking website FlightAware.
Duffy had previously said that staffing issues normally account for about 5% of delays. But with the shutdown about to enter its second month, flight delays due to workforce constraints have fueled a higher percentage of disruptions — at times surpassing 50%.Ìý
More than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents have been forced to continue working without pay, prompting some to get second jobs.
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