Expect worsening flight delays, cancellations amid government shutdown, feds warn
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a warning to travelers regarding potential delays and cancellations as the government shutdown continues to strain the nation’s air travel system.
Staffing issues have resulted in thousands of flight cancellations at major hubs over the weekend, including at the biggest and busiest airports in Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, Las Vegas and Phoenix, Reuters reported .
These staffing issues are expected to continue as workers increasingly cannot afford to go without a paycheck.
Around 13,000 air traffic controllers and approximately 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers are working without pay, Reuters wrote.
Earlier this month, over 23,000 flights were delayed over a single week and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told the media outlet that 53% of these flight delays were due to staffing issues, compared with the normal rate of just 5%. Duffy added that staffing issues over the last week have improved.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blamed the Democrats for airport staffing shortages in a video that played in every public airport in America on Oct. 9, Fox News reported .
“It is TSA’s top priority to make sure that you have the most pleasant and efficient airport experience possible while we keep you safe,“ Noem said in the video “However, Democrats in Congress refuse to fund the federal government, and because of this, many of our operations are impacted and most of our TSA employees are working without pay.”
Many airports refused to play the video, citing policies against displaying political or partisan messaging in their facilities, PBS wrote .
This includes Logan International Airport in Boston and Bradley International Airport in Connecticut .
The FAA did not respond to MassLive’s request for comment.
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