The federal government shutdown that began on October 1 certainly has compounded that. It has contributed to widespread havoc across the entire U.S. aviation system. As the shutdown reaches its seventh day, staffing shortages have started to create more flight delays at airports nationwide. This ongoing crisis is hurting millions of traveling Americans and exposing the deep-seated rot underneath the aviation industry.
About 11,000 federal employees directly involved with transportation—like air traffic controllers and security screeners—are working without pay through this extension. It has gotten so bad that airport personnel have started calling the shutter of “Operation Bald Eagle 2.” Given that these employees are now uncertain how to make ends meet, alarm bells are sounding about the ripple effects of without air travel.
“The risk of wider impacts to the U.S. aviation system is growing by the day,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. To that he added the fact that the current shutdown underscores the plight of his union’s members. They do this in a national airspace system that is dangerously under-staffed and using equipment that is archaic.
As cancellations and hold ups pile up, both air traffic controllers and airport security screeners are telling us that it’s about to get worse. Disruptions Reported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Travelers experienced widespread chaos and unprecedented travel disruptions earlier this week, according to reports. Airports in Burbank, California; Newark, New Jersey; and Denver were especially hard hit. Hollywood Burbank control tower closed for several hours. Consequently, flights experienced an average of two and a half hours of delays.
There’s no OT and you must be certified in that facility. Daniels continued, underscoring the bind in which air traffic controllers find themselves as they are forced to navigate staffing shortfalls. It’s not like we have other controllers that are available to instantly deploy to that facility and staff them. There’s not enough people there.
In response to these negative circumstances, Tampa International Airport was one of the first airports to prepare for the shutdown, well in advance of its start date. As payday approaches next week without compensation for air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers, concerns are mounting about further complications in air travel.
Johnny Jones, a former airport employee and current community organizer in New Orleans, emphasized the toll this destabilizing situation is taking on workers. “The employees are struggling. They’re assessing what they need to do and they’re assessing how this is all going to work out.”
The shutdown would have more effects than just immediate delays. If GOP and Dem legislators don’t break their impasse, it could seriously impact Thanksgiving holiday travel in November. Travel industry analyst Harteveldt soot told Axios he was “gravely concerned” about the impact of the situation on millions of Americans’ Thanksgiving holiday. “I’m gravely concerned that if the government remains shut down then, that it could disrupt, and possibly ruin, millions of Americans’ Thanksgiving holidays.”
As the shutdown persists, airport staff and airline personnel continue to adapt to the realities of a strained aviation system. The threat of having to cut services and lengthen wait times hangs over this important workforce as federal employees face an uncertain future without pay.
