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A mix of staffing shortages at air traffic control centers and thunderstorms on the East Coast sparked chaos for travel across the U.S. on Thursday. Philadelphia International Airport is one of a handful of East Coast hubs experiencing flight delays Thursday due to bad weather. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air traffic advisory issued at 1:37 p.m. EDT Thursday listed staffing alerts indicating insufficient personnel at two FAA control facilities: Philadelphia Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) Area C, responsible for the sequencing and separation of planes at Newark, and the Central Florida TRACON that guides flights in and out of Orlando. As of 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, there was a ground delay at Washington’s Reagan National due to staffing, with average flight delays of 90 minutes. Nearly 4,400 flights were delayed as of 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, according to FlightAware—with triple-digit delays in all three New York-area airports, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington’s Reagan National, Chicago O’Hare and Dallas/Fort Worth. The FAA also flagged a potential ground delay Thursday at Orlando until midnight EDT. In addition, bad weather caused ground stops at Newark and New York’s LaGuardia airport and ground delays at New York’s John F. Kennedy, Philadelphia, and San Francisco airports. More than 25,000 flights were delayed between Sunday and Wednesday, making up roughly 14% of all flights over the four days. Saturday saw staffing triggers at 22 air traffic control facilities, the highest number since the shutdown began, which Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News was “a sign that the controllers are wearing thin.” Have Air Traffic Controller Sick Calls Ramped Up During The Shutdown? The FAA has seen a marked rise in air traffic controller sick calls as the shutdown has dragged on, with Saturday hitting a near record with 22 staffing triggers. In comparison, the prior Saturday, Oct. 18, saw 12 staffing triggers. The two Saturdays before, Oct. 11 and Oct. 4, saw six and 11 staffing triggers, respectively. Is Flying Safe During The Shutdown? Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has repeatedly explained that flight delays are actually a sign that air traffic is safe. When the FAA has a shortage of controllers, it manages the flow of air traffic using tools like ground delays, where the number of flights in and out of an airport is reduced to a manageable level, and ground stops, where arrivals and departures are temporarily halted altogether. “If I don't feel like I have enough controllers or enough controllers that are focused, we will slow down traffic. We will stop traffic. And that's why you see the delays in the system,” Duffy told “Sunday Morning Futures” viewers over the weekend. Are Air Traffic Controllers Showing Signs Of Fatigue? Several controllers—who work 60-hour weeks and get four days off per month, on average—told Forbes it has become more challenging to manage stress since missing their first full paycheck Tuesday. Duffy told Fox News viewers that air traffic controllers “are taking second jobs. They're out there looking. Can I drive Uber? Can I find another source of income to make ends meet?” One air traffic controller who has been spending his days off driving for DoorDash told Forbes that he worries “about the level of fatigue” he and his colleagues are experiencing. Further Reading TSA Screeners Face First Missed Paycheck Friday—Expect Longer Airport Lines Starting This Weekend (Forbes) Got a tip? Share confidential information with Forbes. Editorial StandardsReprints & Permissions
