Government shutdown could mean more airline delays

Vice President JD Vance held a roundtable at the White House on Thursday, focusing on how the shutdown is impacting aviation. He was joined by the Transportation Secretary, airline leaders and other politicians.

"You're seeing impacts of this shutdown on our airspace and that means travelers are delayed, travelers are canceled, it has real problems," said Sean Duffy, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation.

Air traffic controllers are required by law to work during the shutdown, but they're no longer getting paid. This week, they missed their first full paycheck.

Industry insiders and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association says the shutdown, mixed with chronic staffing shortages, could lead to more delays.

"Controllers like to be in control, they do not thrive in uncertainty," said Michael McCormick. He retired from the FAA as vice president, used to manage all of New York City's airspace, and now teaches aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

"The New York metropolitan area is the busiest, most complex air traffic control environment in the world," said McCormick.

Air traffic controllers already face a significant amount of work stress. On top of that, they're normally short-staffed and many are working overtime to fill the gaps. Now, they're also facing personal stress and are worried about their finances.

"You want to have a controller that is working, completely focused on what's going on in the air traffic environment and not have that cloud hanging over their head about how am I going to afford to pay my sons tuition for a semester," said McCormick.

The Department of Transportation says staffing issues have been responsible for 5% of flight delays on average this year. This past Sunday, that number jumped to 44%.

The numbers could grow worse as the budget standoff continues.

"That makes the system less safe and the only way to make it safe is to reduce the number of aircraft in it," said Nick Daniels, the President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Plus, the shutdown's affecting their ability to recruit new controllers for the 3,000 open positions, especially in the tri-state area.

"Part of it is the certification of becoming a controller in that area and part of it is higher cost of living," said McCormick. "Controllers can go somewhere else in the country and make the same amount of money."

Air traffic controllers can't easily move from airport to airport to fill in the shortage gaps, they're trained to work at a specific location. As the shutdown continues, the one thing the Transportation Department and NATC Union says it won't compromise - is safety. Instead, if there are staffing issues, they'll reduce the number of flights taking off and landing at airports with shortages.

"They're continuing to be short-staffed, they're continuing to be worked long hours and then they have the additional stressor on top of it where they don't know when, how often or how much they're going to get paid," said McCormick.

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