ORLANDO, Fla. — As the federal government shutdown stretches into its second week, the FAA says there are numerous staffing shortages at air traffic control towers across the country. According to airport officials, that’s not the case at Orlando International.
While there were more than 200 delays on Thursday, airport officials say that’s not due to the shutdown. We asked the travelers what their experience was like.
“it was actually really pleasant, which shocked me,” said Celine Mollet Saint Benoit.
Some said they’re nervous about what will happen if the shutdown doesn’t end soon.
“Yea, that’s a really big concern. It’s a safety thing, you know, ” said Deanna Paxon.
Despite the traffic snags, about 92% of the more than 23,600 flights departing from U.S. airports as of Tuesday afternoon took off on time, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
However, the risk of broader impacts to the U.S. aviation system “is growing by the day” as federal workers whose critical jobs continue working without pay, travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said. He said the longer the shutdown drags on, the more likely it is to affect holiday travel plans in November.
“I’m gravely concerned that if the government remains shut down then, that it could disrupt, and possibly ruin, millions of Americans’ Thanksgiving holidays,” Harteveldt said in a statement.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that there has already been an uptick in air traffic controllers calling out sick at a few locations. When there aren’t enough controllers, the FAA must reduce the number of takeoffs and landings to maintain safety, which in turn causes flight delays and possible cancellations.
That happened Monday afternoon, when the control tower at Southern California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport shut down for several hours, leading to an average delay of two and a half hours.
When a pilot preparing for takeoff radioed the tower, according to communications recorded by LiveATC.net, he was told: “The tower is closed due to staffing.”
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the shutdown highlighted some issues his union’s members already face regularly due to a critically understaffed national airspace system that relies on outdated equipment that tends to fail.
He said that a couple of controllers missing work can have a big impact at a small airport already operating with limited tower staffing.
“It’s not like we have other controllers that can suddenly come to that facility and staff them. There’s not enough people there,” Daniels said Tuesday. “There’s no overtime, and you have to be certified in that facility.”
The union leader said air travel complications are likely to expand once a regularly scheduled payday arrives next week and air traffic controllers and TSA officers don’t receive any money. If the impasse between Republican and Democratic lawmakers on reopening the government persists, the workers will come under more pressure as their personal bills come due, Daniels said.
“It’s completely unfair that an air traffic controller is the one that holds the burden of ‘see how long you can hang in there in order to allow this political process to play out,’” he said.
Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees chapter that represents TSA workers, said he was hearing concerns from members about how they will be able to pay bills, including child support and mortgage payments, and if they’re at risk for termination if they have to miss work during the shutdown.
“The employees are struggling. They’re assessing what they need to do and they’re assessing how this is all going to work out,” said Jones, who has worked as a screener since the TSA was established.
Some TSA officers have already called in sick, but Jones said he did not think the numbers were big enough to cause significant problems and delays at airports.
Aviation unions and U.S. airlines have called for the shutdown to end immediately.
The unions also appealed to food banks, grocery chains, and airports to secure support for workers during the shutdown. According to Jones, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offered federal workers $15 food vouchers and allowed them to park in the terminal.
John Tiliacos, the chief operating officer of Florida’s Tampa International Airport, said the facility started preparing for the shutdown well before it began.
Nicknamed “Operation Bald Eagle 2” among airport staff, the efforts center around coordinating resources for the roughly 1,100 federal employees, including security screeners and air traffic controllers, who are working at the airport without pay.
Tiliacos said the help would include a food pantry, free bus rides to work, and a program with the local utility provider to keep the lights on at the workers’ homes.
“Whatever we can do to make life a little easier for these federal employees that allows them to continue coming to work and focus on keeping our airport operational, that’s what we’re prepared to do,” he said.
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