Flight Delays Surge as Staffing Shortages Hit Half of Busiest U.S. Airports Amid Shutdown

The backbone of the U.S. travel industry—and what many consider to be the same for the entire U.S. economy—is beginning to strain under the weight of the ongoing U.S. government shutdown.

More and more air traffic controllers (ATCs) are absent amid the shutdown, now in its 34th day as of Monday, causing an increasing number of flight delays across the U.S.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), half of its Core 30 airports—the busiest U.S. airports monitored by the FAA—had staffing shortages over the weekend. This includes the three major New York City area airports—LaGuardia (LGA), John F. Kennedy International (JFK), and Newark Liberty International (EWR)—that saw nearly 80% of their air traffic controllers absent at some point since Friday.

Those absences are now seriously straining the system. On Sunday alone, according to FlightAware, delays at some of the most major U.S. airports reached into the hundreds, including:

• More than 300 flights delayed at Chicago O’Hare (ORD).
• More than 200 flights delayed at both Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) and Houston Bush (IAH).
• Close to 200 flights delayed at Newark Liberty (EWR).
• More than 100 flight delays at Orlando International (MCO), Nashville International (BNA), and San Francisco International (SFO).

And, as of 7:30 a.m EST on Monday, the FAA is already issuing notices that ground stops are likely in San Francisco (SFO) after 10 a.m. EST and in Boston (BOS) after 12 p.m. EST. That list will almost certainly grow the later it gets on Monday.

“After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue,” the FAA said. “The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they’ve earned and travelers can avoid further disruptions and delays.”

Every major U.S. travel industry group has called for an end to the shutdown. The U.S. Travel Association estimated at the beginning that the shutdown would cost the U.S. economy somewhere around $4 billion a week and as of today, that number, estimated by U.S. Travel, is up above $4.6 billion and growing every hour. That growth is likely to accelerate, too, the longer the shutdown lasts.

“The longer this drags on, the worse the cascade of damage will be—for local communities, for small businesses and for the country. Congress needs to act now and reopen the government,” Geoff Freeman, the president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said way back at the beginning of the shutdown on Oct. 8.