Airline Delays Disrupt East Coast Airports

Multiple major U.S. airports on the East Coast experienced delays this morning when a number of air traffic control employees failed to report to work. La Guardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, John F. Kennedy Airport and Philadelphia International Airport were all impacted, with a Port Authority representative confirming that the FAA issued a brief ground stop at La Guardia during a peak window. 

The FAA took to Twitter to keep travelers updated, issuing the following statement: “We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities. We are mitigating the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed. The public can monitor air traffic at fly.faa.gov and they should check with airlines for more information.” 

According to Flight Aware, 218 flights were reported delayed out of La Guardia and another 237 coming in as of mid-day Friday. Newark experienced 94 departure delays while JFK had 82 and Philadelphia 38.

Travelers were being encouraged to check with their airlines for individual delays and to consult Flight Aware for more details.
The delays come on the day air traffic controllers missed their second paycheck due to the government shutdown, which is now on its 35th day. 

The U.S. Travel Association issued its own statement about the impact of the shutdown:

“This morning’s reports of air traffic control delays are the strongest indication yet that the shutdown runs the risk of sending immediate shockwaves throughout the American economy,” said Jonathan Grella, the association’s executive vice president. “More than 50 percent of all flight delays and cancellations nationwide originate in the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania airspace. Delays in these regions are likely to have a ripple effect on travelers across the country, and impact the economy and jobs in every corner of the U.S.”