Overview
- Air traffic controllers are working without pay and are set to miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday, heightening financial strain and absenteeism, union and federal officials said.
- Operational stress spiked over the weekend, with the FAA citing 22 staffing triggers on Saturday and more than 8,000 flight delays reported Sunday, including a two-hour LAX ground stop.
- On Monday, the FAA reported staffing-related delays averaging about 20 minutes at Dallas and around 40 minutes at Austin after a brief ground stop, with brief delays also reported at LAX.
- The controllers’ union plans leafleting at major airports such as New York and Atlanta, as many controllers log mandatory six-day weeks without pay and some take second jobs or call in sick.
- The FAA entered the shutdown thousands of controllers below target levels and paused academy training, and officials warn delays will worsen, with staffing issues accounting for over half of delays on the worst days.