U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, speaking with ABC News
co-anchor Martha Raddatz on Sunday, warned travelers the FAA will restrict flight
volumes at airports and take other measures as the government drags into its
second month of shutdown. Transportation
Security Administration workers and air traffic controllers are now working
without pay resulting in shortages.
"We will delay, we will cancel, any kind of flight
across the national airspace to make sure people are safe," Duffy said before warning that issues could get worse before they get better.
The Federal Aviation Administration estimates nearly 50 percent
of major air traffic control centers across the country are now experiencing
staffing shortages. Newark Liberty International Airport, which already has experienced
delays and FAA-enforced flight volume restrictions, was hit
with multiple ground stops on Sunday due to staffing shortages.
At its worst, some sources said flight delays reached more
than two hours. Others said they exceeded 3.5 hours, on average. More than 120
flights out of Newark were cancelled as of midnight, according to FlightAware. ABC News reported delays
were impacting New York JFK International Airport and LaGuardia Airport as
well.
The Houston Chronicle reported projected wait times at
security checkpoints at George Bush Intercontinental Airport had climbed to climbed
to three hours yesterday. At William P. Hobby it was one hour. The two
airports had reduced TSA operations over the weekend.
Los Angeles International Airport and San Diego Airport each
reported flight delays of about 1.5 hours Sunday night.
OAG just after midnight on Monday reported normal flight operations
in Newark and Los Angeles.
Industry Urges Congress to Clear Path to a “Clean” Continuing
Resolution
As the shutdown enters its 34th day, the House of
Representatives seems no closer to passing a resolution that would re-open the
government and get current with ATC and TSA workers on pay.
Airline
executives met with Duffy and Vice President JD Vance last week urging
the leaders to find a way to a resolution.
"While I don't have a position on which partisan side
and how things should be settled with health care, it has been 30 days,"
Kirby said at a press conference following the meeting. "I also think it
is time to pass a clean [continuing resolution]. Use that as an opportunity to
get into a room behind closed doors and negotiate hard on the real and
substantive issues that the American people want our politicians on both sides
of the aisle to solve."
Airlines for America president and CEO Chris Sununu also
joined the White House roundtable. The U.S. Travel Association, which sent a
letter to Congress earlier this month to press the two sides to come together on
a resolution to re-open the government, is now displaying a "live
ticker" on its website, which shows that since Oct. 1, the country has
lost nearly $4.6 billion in travel spend.