Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explains why worldwide flights received’t be impacted by shutdown chaos. (Credit score: FBN)
The longest authorities shutdown in U.S. historical past is exacerbating the already dire scenario at management towers throughout the nation, a retired air site visitors controller mentioned.
Whereas the Federal Aviation Administration mentioned it can scale back air site visitors by 10% throughout 40 high-volume markets to take care of security amid the shutdown and ongoing air site visitors management staffing shortages, Stephen Abraham, who labored as a controller at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York for over twenty years earlier than retiring, mentioned the transfer is extra like a Band-Assist to forestall a meltdown.
“It doesn’t solve the crisis, it just prevents a complete meltdown,” mentioned Abraham, who mentioned staffing hasn’t been sufficient in a long time.
Air site visitors controllers are labeled as important employees, that means that they’re required to maintain working even when the federal government isn’t funding common operations. (Invoice Clark/CQ-Roll Name Inc by way of Getty Photos / Getty Photos)
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“They’re really overworked. They’re fatigued,” Abraham mentioned.
Air site visitors controllers are labeled as important employees, that means that they’re required to maintain working even when the federal government isn’t funding common operations. They’ve now gone greater than a month with no paycheck.
Individuals stroll by means of the Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport on Nov. 7, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos)
Stress and fatigue rise as a result of controllers are already working lengthy hours with staffing shortages, and now they’re anxious about payments and monetary survival, which suggests some might name out sick or take unscheduled depart – not essentially out of protest, however as a result of they’re exhausted, mentally strained or coping with monetary hardship.
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“If you don’t sleep real well, I’m not going to work the next day,” he mentioned. “It’s really just that simple because you can’t mail it in. It just doesn’t work in that profession. You can’t mail it in… every day has to be an ‘A’ day. You don’t get ‘B’ days.”
Individuals stroll by means of the Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport on Nov 7, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos)
And with no back-up workers, it is creating “an untenable situation,” Abraham mentioned.
Greater than 3.2 million airline passengers have been impacted by delays or cancellations attributed to staffing shortages tied to air site visitors controller staffing points for the reason that authorities shutdown started on Oct. 1, trade commerce group Airways for America mentioned.
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The problems have change into so important that Frontier Airways CEO Barry Biffle mentioned on Instagram that he extremely recommends vacationers purchase an additional ticket.
Individuals stroll to a safety checkpoint on the Ronald Reagan Washington Nationwide Airport on Nov. 7, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Photos)
“If you are flying Friday or in the next 10 days, and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier,” wrote Biffle.
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Reuters contributed to this report.
