As the federal government shutdown continues, the travel industry has been hit particularly hard as furloughs and unpaid workers have led to staffing shortages for airtraffic controllers and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
While airports are continuing to function to the best of their abillities, three of the biggest and busiest airports in the entire country faced significant problems as a result of staffing shortages this week, resulting in ground stops.
Staffing Shortages in the Travel Industry
About 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are currently working without pay as a result of the government shutdown.
Staffing shortages within those agencies are becoming an increasing issue as workers increasingly cannot afford to go without a paycheck and seek other opportunities. This will only get worse as the shutdown continues.
The FAA has issued a warning to all travelers about the staffing shortages and how it could impact travel around the country.
Ground Stops at Major Airports
On Thursday, the major airport servicing the Washington D.C. area as well as two major airports servicing the New York city area all issues ground stops due to staffing shortages.
According to Fox News, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) near Washington, D.C., was the first to issue a ground delay program Thursday after the airport announced that flights were pushed back an average of 30 minutes as a result of the staffing issues.
Following the ground stop at DCA, two major airports in the New York City area also issued ground stops as Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in New Jersey and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York halted all departures from the two major airports.
As a result, thousands of individuals across the country were impacted.
Other Delays This Week
These latest ground stops come after several other major airports faced similar issues this week. The Federal Aviation Administration said earlier this week that air traffic control staffing issues were to blame for travel at airports in Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Newark, Las Vegas, and Phoenix and warned that these delays could continue.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said that 53% of flight delays during a week-long period earlier this month were due to staffing issues. Typically, that number is around 5%, highlighting just how much the shutdown is impacting the travel industry.
