Flight delays become more common as air traffic controllers go without pay during shutdown

By JOSH FUNK AP Transportation Writer Air traffic controllers will miss their paychecks Tuesday because of the ongoing administration shutdown raising concerns that mounting financial stress could take a toll on the already understaffed employees who guide thousands of flights each day Flight delays are becoming more common across the country as more controllers call out sick because the Federal Aviation Administration was already so short on controllers before the shutdown Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association Nick Daniels have continued to emphasize the pressure that controllers are feeling They say the problems are likely to only get worse the longer the shutdown continues Not only are controllers worrying about how to pay for their mortgages and groceries but Daniels mentioned several of them are also grappling with how to pay for the medicine needed to keep their children alive Duffy mentioned he heard from one controller who had to tell his daughter she couldn t join the traveling volleyball club she had earned a spot on because he couldn t afford the cost during the shutdown Air traffic controllers have to have of focus of the time Daniels noted Tuesday at a news conference alongside Duffy at LaGuardia Airport in New York And I m watching air traffic controllers going to work I m getting the stories They re worried about paying for medicine for their daughter I got a message from a controller that revealed I m running out of money And if she doesn t get the medicine she necessities she dies That s the end The FAA restricts the number of flights landing and taking off at an airport anytime there is a shortage of controllers to ensure safety Bulk of the time that has meant delays sometimes hours long at airports like New Jersey s Newark Liberty International Airport or Burbank airport in California But over the weekend Los Angeles International Airport literally had to stop all flights for nearly two hours Controllers are planning to assemble outside at least airports nationwide Tuesday to hand out leaflets urging an end to the shutdown as soon as manageable Worrying about how to pay their bills is driving a few to take second jobs to make ends meet The number of controllers calling in sick has increased during the shutdown both because of their frustration with the situation and because controllers need the time off to work second jobs instead of continuing to work six days a week like various of them routinely do Duffy has revealed that controllers could be fired if they abuse their sick time but the vast majority of them have continued to show up for work every day Air traffic controller Joe Segretto who works at a regional radar facility that directs planes in and out of airports in the New York area stated morale is suffering as controllers worry more about money Related Articles US launches strikes on alleged drug-running boats off Colombia killing This day in History October Statue of Liberty dedicated in New York Navy loses two aircraft from USS Nimitz aircraft carrier within minutes The present day in History October Curse of the Bambino reversed Trump administration posts notice that no federal food aid will go out Nov The pressure is real Segretto noted We have people trying to keep these airplanes safe We have trainees that are trying to learn a new job that is very fast-paced very stressful very complex now having to worry about how they re going to pay bills Duffy disclosed the shutdown is also making it harder for the governing body to reduce the longstanding shortage of about controllers He commented that certain students have dropped out of the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City and younger controllers who are still training to do the job might abandon the career because they can t afford to go without pay This shutdown is making it harder for me to accomplish those goals Duffy reported The longer the shutdown continues pressure will continue to build on Congress to reach an agreement to reopen the regime During the -day shutdown in President Donald Trump s first term the disruptions to flights across the country contributed to the end of that disruption But so far Democrats and Republicans have shown little sign of reaching a deal to fund the regime