Airport staffing shortages causing some flight delays a week into shutdown

Indianapolis International Airport (IBJ photo/Eric Learned)

Staffing shortages have delayed flights in several U.S. cities this week, shortly after Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy warned the government shutdown could lead to delays and cancellations.

FAA advisories on Monday showed there were no air traffic controllers at Hollywood Burbank Airport in California, causing delays. Staffing issues were also linked to delays at the Newark, Phoenix and Denver airports.

According to flight-tracking website FlightAware, more than 6,140 U.S. flights were delayed Monday. It was unclear how many of the delays were related to staffing issues.

FlightAware reported 76 total flight delays involving Indianapolis International Airport on Monday, accounting for about 13% of flights leaving the airport and 12% arriving at the airport. Only 1% of flights involving the airport, or seven flights, had experienced delays on Tuesday.

According to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, or NATCA, the sector already has a shortage of 3,800 fully qualified controllers.

Essential workers such as air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers are expected to continue working without pay during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1, and receive back pay once the government reopens. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said Monday that there had been a “slight tick-up” in sick-leave calls, adding that this could lead to flight delays. Duffy added that the shutdown had exacerbated the pressure on air traffic controllers, who are due to receive their next pay checks Oct. 14.

“Now what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, ‘How am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home, how do I put food on the table?’” Duffy told reporters. “‘I’m working six days a week, so I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful, to think about how I can make extra money because the government may not provide me a paycheck?’”

He said that some areas had seen a 50 percent reduction in staffing and warned that if staff levels fall to a level that affects safety, there could be further delays or cancellations.

In a statement last week calling for an end to the shutdown, NATCA said that these “excepted” workers include controllers “who are already working mandatory overtime that requires them to work six days a week, 10 hours a day.”

In a separate statement on its website, NATCA said that it “does not endorse, support, or condone any federal employees participating in or endorsing a coordinated activity that negatively affects the capacity” of the nation’s flight networks. It warned members that any “job action” could undermine its credibility and weaken its ability “to effectively advocate for you and your families.”

Senators returned to Washington on Monday, but there appeared to be no prospect of a deal to end the shutdown. Three-quarters of a million federal workers have been furloughed, and many others are working without pay after funding laws expired early Wednesday, while several agencies and departments have been completely closed.

In an emailed response to a request for comment early Tuesday, the FAA said: “Due to a lapse in funding, the FAA will only conduct “exempt” activities. The FAA will have limited communications but will send any significant safety messaging.”

The Burbank and Denver airports did not immediately respond to requests for comment early Tuesday. Phoenix’s airport referred questions to the FAA.

Port Authority, which operates Newark’s terminal, said in a statement that while the shutdown wouldn’t affect its ability to operate its facilities, it would affect federal workers essential to their function, “including TSA, CBP and air traffic controllers—which could result in delays and severe operating challenges at the airports.” It said it would be working to mitigate any potential impacts.

Burbank’s airport wrote on social media Monday that operations at the airport were continuing, without providing details of any disruption, but advised passengers to check with their airline for possible delays or cancellations before arriving at the airport.

During the prolonged government shutdown in January 2019, unpaid air traffic controllers began waiting tables and driving ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, The Post reported at the time, with the head of the NATCA saying that some federal workers were calling in sick because they were unable to afford child care.