"The FAA begancutting flights on Friday, ordering a 4% reduction at 40 major airports across the country. By Saturday, more than 1,300 flights had been canceled, and over 5,000 were delayed nationwide, Reuters news agency reported."
"Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina saw the highest number of cancellations, with 130 flights grounded by mid-afternoon. Other major hubs including Atlanta, the busiest airport in the US, as well as Chicago, Denver, and Newark also experienced delays and cancellations. Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC, was hit especially hard on Friday, with 18% of its arrivals canceled, NBC News reported. Officials warned that even if the shutdown ends, air traffic operations won't return to normal immediately."
"Over the past 39 days of shutdown, some federal employees have been temporarily furloughed, while others remain on the job without pay. Air traffic controllers and many airport security screeners are federal employees, which is why the aviationsector has been hit especially hard, due to ongoing staffing shortages in radar centers and control towers at airports. Many staff are working without pay, some are calling in sick, while others are taking second jobs to cover basic expenses after going more than a month without a paycheck. Officials say between 20% and 40% of workers are not showing up on any given day. In total, about 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 airport screener"
FAA ordered cuts to air traffic because of the US government shutdown that began on October 1. The FAA began cutting flights on Friday with a 4% reduction at 40 major airports; by Saturday more than 1,300 flights were canceled and over 5,000 delayed nationwide. Charlotte Douglas International had 130 cancellations; Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Newark and Reagan National also saw significant disruptions, with Reagan National canceling 18% of arrivals. The shutdown has caused furloughs and unpaid federal staff; many air traffic controllers and airport screeners are absent or working without pay, with officials reporting 20–40% daily absences. Operations may not normalize immediately even if the shutdown ends.
#us-government-shutdown #faa-flight-reductions #flight-cancellations-and-delays #air-traffic-controller-staffing
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