Flight delays more common as US government shutdown drags on

"More air traffic controllers are calling in sick, often to work another job to pay for groceries and medicines. United States air traffic controllers will miss their paycheques because of the ongoing government shutdown, raising concerns that mounting financial stress could take a toll on the already understaffed employees who guide thousands of flights each day. Paycheques were due on Tuesday."

"Air traffic controllers have to have 100 percent of focus 100 percent of the time, Daniels said Tuesday at a news conference alongside Duffy at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. And I'm watching air traffic controllers going to work. I'm getting the stories. They're worried about paying for medicine for their daughter. I got a message from a controller that said, I'm running out of money. And if she doesn't get the medicine she needs, she dies. That's the end.'"

Thousands of flights are affected as an ongoing government shutdown causes United States air traffic controllers to miss paycheques. Pay was due on Tuesday, leading some controllers to call in sick or take second jobs to afford groceries, mortgages and vital medicines. The FAA was already understaffed, and absence increases strain on remaining staff, prompting federal restrictions on takeoffs and landings to maintain safety. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels warned pressures will worsen the longer the shutdown continues. Controllers reported dire personal hardships, including inability to afford children’s medications or extracurricular activities.

Read at www.aljazeera.com