Carriers in the U.S.A. are taking measures to help feed air traffic controllers and other unpaid federal aviation workers who missed their first full paycheck on Tuesday, due to government shutdown.
A government shutdown halts non-essential federal operations, directly hitting aviation via the FAA, which oversees air traffic control, safety certifications, and airport funding.
On day 30 of the government shutdown and essential federal employees like air traffic controllers are feeling the pinch. They were partially paid earlier this month and this week, they missed their first full paycheck.
United Airlines said that it is helping support essential workers who are going unpaid during the stalemate in Washington, D.C.
"United is donating meals for air traffic controllers and other federal workers whose pay is delayed. We appreciate the hardworking federal employees who are keeping the air travel system running," the carrier said in a statement.
United is offering the meals at its hubs nationwide, including at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Denver International Airport, Houston/George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, San Francisco International Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration warned there would be an air travel meltdown next month if the government shutdown continued, predicting chaos as controllers miss additional paychecks and the U.S. enters the holiday season.
The turmoil impacting air travel prompted Delta Air Lines on Thursday to demand Congress reopen the government immediately. The airline warned that missed paychecks “only increases the stress on these essential workers, many of whom are already working mandatory overtime to keep our skies safe and secure.”
Delta Air Lines also said that it has "arranged for a limited number of meals for transportation sector workers," while noting that it is operating "within the strict rules established for employees of federal government agencies."
Another carrier, JetBlue, said it is working with its federal partners, including local aviation officials, "to offer meals at our airports as a gesture of support."
The airline said it's working with the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and Federal Aviation Administration to coordinate those efforts.
At a press conference on Tuesday at LaGuardia Airport in New York, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy highlighted air traffic controllers' financial struggles as they go without pay.
"This is day one," he said of controllers missing their first full paychecks. "Day two gets harder, [and] day three is harder after that, as expenses continue to roll [in]."
Duffy also noted that controllers are calling in sick in larger numbers than usual, as some seek side gigs with companies like Uber or DoorDash to make ends meet during the shutdown.
This week, air traffic controllers with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a labor union and aviation safety organization, demanded the end of the shutdown and handed out leaflets.
Speaking at the same event, National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels also emphasized the financial pressure on his members.
"Air traffic controllers have to have 100% of focus 100% of the time," he said.
"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 said, 'I'm running out of money. And if she doesn't get the medicine she needs, she dies. That's the end.'"
On average this year, 5% of flight delays were attributed to air traffic controller shortages, Duffy said. The personnel shortages at some airports were responsible for roughly 44% of the 8,700 flight delays on Sunday, while accounting for 24% of Monday's delays, according to Duffy.
Controllers were planning to gather outside at least 17 airports nationwide on Tuesday to hand out leaflets urging an end to the shutdown.
"The pressure is real," air traffic controller Joe Segretto, who works at a regional radar facility that directs planes at airports in the New York area, said at the press conference at LaGuardia.
"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."
A ground delay was issued Thursday evening for Orlando MCO, the state's busiest airport, with departures to the airport delayed an average of 2.7 hours due to staffing issues.
Duffy insisted flying remains safe."Oftentimes I'm asked, is the airspace safe? Is it safe to fly? And I will tell you that, yes, it is as safe today as it was two months ago. It's safe,” he said. But he warned that there will likely be more delays if the shutdown continues.
Thousands of flights within the U.S. are already suffering delays with each passing day. There were over 2,700 delays impacting flights within, into or out of the U.S. on Wednesday as of late afternoon on the East Coast, with more than 125 being cancelled. On Sunday, there were nearly 9,000 delays, and 193 cancellations.
Display Picture Courtesy: Denver Int'l Airport
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