The FAA was warning operators of possible staffing shortages at eight major air traffic control facilities into the early morning of Wednesday as the government shutdown puts more pressure on a system relying on staff who will not be paid until after the shutdown is ended. So-called “staffing triggers” were expected in certain sectors covered by facilities in Philadelphia, Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago, and Houston. Ground stops and other delays were being reported by the FAA at airports throughout the country as traffic was throttled for safety reasons due to staff shortages. Hollywood Burbank Airport was without controllers for six hours on Monday. There have been no further reports of “ATC Zero” situations anywhere else, but delays of up to two hours were common and widespread. There were about 400 delays reported Tuesday evening by FlightAware’s Misery Map.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said he was afraid controllers would go and drive Ubers to earn money when the government checks dry up, citing increasing financial pressure. He said the FAA will follow standard procedures and reduce traffic if not enough controllers are on position to effectively maintain separation. “But they’re not just thinking about the airspace, they’re thinking about: ‘Am I going to get a paycheck?’ ‘How am I going to pay my mortgage?’ ‘How do I make my car payment?’ ‘Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber?’”
Duffy also said the shutdown will have an impact on efforts to train more controllers to fill an overall shortage of 3,500. While the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City remains open and functioning, a major part of student preparation is on-the-job training, and funding is affected for support staff. “They go to towers or TRACONS or centers, and they have to get trained up in the support staff that’s there to train the new controllers to get them certified,” Duffy said in an interview on Tuesday. “We’re having issues with the funding to keep those people employed.”
Is this a left hand, right hand thing? At what point does it all collapse? Does this all really need to happen? Why?
I think it needs to happen and the more damage is done, the higher the chances for Americans to realize that the clowns and primates in suits in Washington (no insult to monkeys intended) on both sides have lost all credibility.
Actually we are all primates. So just leave it at clowns LOL
At least Duffy is getting paid.
I think Duffy knows it’s a TRACON, not a trade con. Or maybe not. And unlike the Reagan era and when controllers said, “you can’t fire us all”, and Ronnie said, “oh yea, watch this”, it is somewhat different now. The controllers are pretty much in the drivers’ seat as to when they want to start seeing a pay check, instead of a promise again. The negative publicity that has surrounded ATC for the last many years and their staffing shortage plus 6 day work weeks makes them much more sympathetic to the citizenry. They can bring both sides back to the table quickly if they decide too. I don’t think it could be privatized that quickly.
That Microsoft speil-chucker can be a real beech, can’t it?
Really going to help this situation to have a White House memo circulating that says there is no guarantee the Administration will provide back pay for government workers during the shutdown. (A 2019 law requires it, but hey it’s only a law.)
I get the sentiment “a pox on both their houses “ I mean who really likes politicians. But in this case one political party controls the presidency, the House and Senate and the Supreme Court. They have the votes to continue to fund the government. The House has passed the bill wanted by the President. Senate Republicans have enough votes to pass it by simple majority. All they have to do is waive a Senate rule requiring 60 votes to end debate and vote. And here’s the thing. Senate Republicans have already waived that rule 3 times this year. So, waive it a 4th time already and let’s be done with this charade.
All decisions have consequences. Bad decisions make for worse consequences.
… and Really Bad Decisions can leave you hurting for ‘way more than four years.
‘At what point does it all collapse?’
That’s the very thing the newly ELECTED regime does not want and is working day and night to prevent.
When the once great yacht of freedom and democracy is eventually turned to sail in their autocratic direction from a thousand cuts of course corrections, while the voters slept sweetly in their individual delusions, any point of disintegration will have vanished or been rendered moot.
Federal jack boots in Portland and Chicago are getting paid in full to harass and intimidate their own citizenry while Controllers are not and working under unnecessary stress and difficulty.
And the voters flying the airlines still really only just want their iPhones to work …
“I seen the Emperor—he wasn’t wearing any clothes!!!