Airlines Zapped by Flight Delays Amid Shutdown, Storms

Travel chaos is spreading—and it isn’t all because of the government shutdown.

More than 48,000 flights have been delayed since Oct. 3. (Photo: Quintin Soloviev Wikimedia Commons) 

Thousands of flights were delayed recently as a storm roared up the East Coast, and the disruptions threatened to carry on.

U.S. airports have already been struggling with shortages of air-traffic controllers, Janet H. Cho reported for Barron’s Daily.

American Airlines and United Airlines were waiving ticket change fees, and Delta Air Lines posted a travel advisory as airports from Norfolk, Va., to Portland, Maine, braced for the storm.

More than 48,000 flights have been delayed since Oct. 3, according to FlightAware.

A shortage of about 3,800 air-traffic controllers has also come under scrutiny amid the shutdown. Air-traffic controllers are required to work but won’t be paid until the government reopens.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels told MSNBC that the situation is adding pressure and stress.

Airlines for America, a group representing major airlines, said, “It is safe to fly,” but noted that air-traffic controller staffing shortages are causing flights to be spaced farther apart.

The group urged air travelers to “pack their patience.”

The air-traffic controllers union posted videos of workers showing up to their jobs amid the widespread perception that sickouts by its members were causing the travel disruptions.

The union said the shutdown is “an unnecessary distraction from performing their important duties.”