"Airport disruptions have been the most visible effect of the government shutdown since it began on October 1st. Since then, a growing proportion of air traffic controllers have taken time off rather than work at a job that doesn't pay. Staffing levels were already critical at many facilities before the shutdown. The added burden of unscheduled callouts has caused an immediate increase in flight disruptions."
"In mid-October, when we first started tracking the effects of the shutdown on air traffic, about one in 10 flights were delayed or canceled - double the disruption rate from the same time last year. But now every air traffic controller in the country hasn't been paid in at least six weeks. Staffing shortages have impacted operations at half of the nation's "Core 30" airports."
The shutdown closed federal services, halted SNAP distributions, and left tens of thousands of essential federal employees unpaid until the lapse ends. A growing proportion of air traffic controllers took unscheduled leave rather than work without pay, compounding preexisting critical staffing shortages at many facilities. Flight delays and cancellations roughly doubled compared with last year, and staffing shortages have affected half of the nation's Core 30 airports. On Halloween, nearly 80 percent of air traffic controllers were absent at facilities controlling New York airspace. A mandated 10 percent reduction in airline flight volume is unlikely to offset the operational strain as holiday travel ramps up.
Read at The Verge
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