Flight delays will happen soon, and serving some smaller American communities can be at risk as the federal government closes until its second week.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed on Monday that control towers at airports nationwide have had a “slight blow” when air traffic controllers come home from get off work.
“One day there was one facility and another on the other,” Duffy said at a press conference at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR). “Some areas, some staffing has been reduced by 50%. We are tracking it. We have taken appropriate measures to ensure our skies are safe.”
The U.S. Government is closing: This is the impact of travel
Aviation industry leaders fear that Federal Aviation Administration employees have called for work after the federal government shutdown began on October 1, and Congress has failed to pass a funding bill.
Air traffic controllers are thousands of basic federal workers who expect to continue reporting work during the closure, but have no salary.
In early 2019, the weeks-long closure led to the cancellation of dozens of FAA workers and led to increasing flight delays – travel troubles ultimately put the deadlock in Washington.
So far, calls for air traffic control have not been widespread, Duffy said.
However, if the problem worsens, the FAA could slow down the flow of aircraft, which could trigger flight delays, especially at the busiest airports in the United States.
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Air traffic control personnel are already a major issue
Critical FAA facilities already face important staffing challenges. The controller works for six days regularly and works overtime forcing.
Those staffing dilemma (and other factors) caused major travel disruptions in Newark this spring and attracted national attention in January after the first fatal crash involving American Airlines in more than a decade.
The nation’s largest air traffic controller coalition (Anture Aunder Union) encouraged its members to continue reporting during the closure and condemned “any coordinated activity that undermines the national airspace system”, suggesting unauthorized absences.
TSA officials work for free
Also expect no salary job: Transportation Safety Management Officer.
At the time of publication, TPG has not heard any reports of severe security checkpoint delays.
However, we should warn: a secure backup occurs during the last shutdown, so if the shutdown drags, you may experience longer waiting time at the TSA checkpoint.
Visited several airport checkpoints late last week and in some cases, the overall staffing level of TSA seems to be much less than the avid travelers I would normally expect.
We should note: The important federal employees who are still working on the job are not critical, furloughed support staff, who help government services run more effectively.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the TSA staffing level, although there are currently many government staff working on news inquiries.
Routes for smaller communities in danger
While some flyers may face travel delays, other airports have the potential to lose flights in the coming days.
Subsidies for federal basic air services were used up without Congressional intervention on Sunday, Duffy said Monday.
This funding supports air routes to underserved airports, usually in smaller communities where carriers may not see commercial case flights.
The airline may have a final decision that a specific route will fall into the interruption during the closure.
The most subsidized route status: Alaska.
In recent years, smaller communities have been working to maintain air service, as the subsequent pilot shortage and airline shift to larger jets, subsequent pilot shortages and airline shifts.
Know if you are flying during the shutdown
This is where to know if you’re flying in the next few days.
Is the air travel safe safe during downtime?
Yes, the leaders stressed on Monday.
“It’s very, very safe,” said Frank McIntosh, chief operating officer of FAA Air Transportation.
However, the FAA warns that keeping the sky safe may require control towers, which can slow down the flow of aircraft if ATC staffing levels drop.
At that time, as we have been in recent years, when delays occurred, we were busy at the Northeast Airport.
Thunderstorms or other weather disruptions may make wider cascade delays more likely.
Arrive at the airport early
To prevent any potential backups from the TSA checkpoint, I recommend you arrive at the airport earlier than usual.
And don’t rely on the usually convenient mytsa application to monitor the waiting time of checkpoints. The TSA warned that the app was not updated during the failure of federal funding.
Avoid tight connections
If you have already booked a trip, it is easier said than done.
However, the best way to turn flight problems associated with closure into major travel disruptions is to fly non-stop, or at least avoid tight connections.
The likelihood of mass flight cancellation is much less likely than the 45-minute delay that occurs prolonged on taxis.
Flight delay or cancellation? This is the next step
If you missed the connection flight, the latter is just a major issue.
Watch air travel consultation
It is clear that we have not seen a major flight dilemma yet.
If mass delays start popping up at certain airports, be aware of any communications from your airline.
If travel difficulties increase, the carrier may issue a travel waiver that allows you to change or rebook a trip.
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