Flight traffic will be reduced by 10 percent in 40 of the nation’s markets, the Trump administration announced on Wednesday as the busy Thanksgiving holiday approaches. The move was made as the government shutdown enters its second month and air traffic controller staffing shortages have led to an increasing number of flight delays across the country.
Controllers, like Transportation Security Administration employees, are essential workers required to work during federal shutdowns without pay.
“Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at a news conference on Wednesday, adding the reductions were data-based. “This is not based on, ‘What airline travels has more flights out of what location?’ This is about, ‘Where is the pressure, and how do we alleviate the pressure?’” Duffy warned that there may be flight delays or cancellations, but said the priority was to get passengers to their destinations safely.
Federal Aviation Administration head Bryan Bedford, who appeared alongside Duffy at the conference, said that a data review, which included voluntary safety disclosure reports from pilots, pointed out concerns over air traffic controller fatigue. “We are starting to see some evidence that fatigue is building in the system in ways that we feel we need to work towards relieving some of that pressure,” Bedford stated.
In recent interviews with NPR, four current controllers (who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation from the FAA) said that staffing shortages even before the shutdown, mandatory overtime, and stagnant wages have led to low morale, which has worsened as they face another missed paycheck next week.
“It does degrade that margin of safety if a bunch of people are sick and not at work and I’m having to do their jobs along with my own,” said one controller who handles traffic around a major airport.
Another controller in the New York City-area said, “It’s clear that the government only pays lip service to the value of our profession,” adding, “Otherwise why would they jeopardize hundreds of thousands of people’s lives every day this way?”
