""I want them to think about the departures and arrivals of airplanes. I want to make sure they keep Americans and airplanes safe," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said during a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday. "But they're not just thinking about the airspace - they're thinking about: 'Am I going to get a paycheck?' 'How am I going to pay my mortgage?' 'Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber?'""
"Unsurprisingly, Duffy said there's been a "slight tick-up" in callouts since the shutdown began, and the ripple effects are already showing. According to flight tracking site FlightAware, Tuesday saw 3,787 delays and 70 cancellations within, into or out of the U.S. As of this morning, another 1,014 delays and 27 cancellations are already expected today."
A government shutdown has produced staffing shortages at major U.S. airports and air traffic control centers including Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, Newark, Denver, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Houston. Air traffic controllers and TSA personnel are government employees currently working without pay, often 10 hours a day, six days a week, which has increased callouts and absenteeism. Flight tracking recorded thousands of delays and dozens of cancellations, with additional delays expected. A prior shutdown produced shuttered checkpoints and stalled training. A DOT contingency plan keeps over 13,000 controllers working while proposing furloughs for roughly 11,000 FAA employees, raising operational concerns.
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