The postponement of thousands of flights in America due to the government closure portends an economic crisis economy

Air travel disruptions in the United States worsened with nearly 7,000 flights delayed nationwide Monday, with air traffic controllers increasingly absent as the federal government shutdown enters its 27th day.

The US Federal Aviation Administration attributed this to a shortage of personnel, and imposed ground delay programs affecting airports in Newark in New Jersey, Austin in Texas, and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Monday, and flights in the Southeast were postponed, earlier, due to a significant shortage of personnel at the radar approach control center at the Atlanta station.

About 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers are being forced to work without pay after a budget impasse between Republican President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress led to the shutdown.

The Trump administration warned that flight disruptions would increase as controllers did not receive their first full paycheck on Tuesday.

More than 8,800 flights were postponed the day before yesterday, Sunday, including flights by Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines, and Delta Airlines, according to the FlightAware website, which tracks flights.

Yesterday, Monday, postponements included Southwest, American Airlines, Delta, and United Airlines.

Absence of observers

Reuters quoted an official at the US Department of Transportation as saying that 44% of Sunday’s delays were due to the absence of air traffic controllers, which is a sharp increase from the usual 5%.

The increasing postponements and cancellations are stoking public frustration and intensifying scrutiny of the impact of the shutdown, increasing pressure on lawmakers to resolve it.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy was in Cleveland to meet with air traffic controllers on Monday, while the National Air Traffic Controllers Union plans events at several airports on Tuesday to highlight the lack of pay.

The FAA is short on air traffic controllers by about 3,500, many of whom were working mandatory overtime and 6-day workweeks even before the shutdown.

In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences of air traffic controllers and TSA officers due to workers not getting paid, led to longer wait times at some airport checkpoints, and authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.

What are the connotations?

• The continued government closure portends widespread disruption of flights
• Incurring economic costs due to frequent delays and cancellations, which affects airports, travel traffic, and supply chains related to aviation (freight, parcels)
• Confounding travelers and undermining confidence in flights

What are the expected repercussions?

• Increasing costs for airlines and airports by paying compensation to those affected, and re-arranging flights, with a high possibility of a decline in revenues.
• If the situation continues for a longer period, it may affect consumer and investor confidence, and raise transportation costs and prices of some goods and services.