Overview
- Thousands of air traffic controllers worked unpaid after Tuesday’s zero-dollar pay stubs, with NATCA members leafleting at roughly 20–22 airports to urge a funding resolution.
- The FAA reported staffing “triggers” at several facilities Wednesday and briefly ordered a ground stop at Newark, while flagging potential flow restrictions at JFK, Dallas and Reagan National.
- Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said controller staffing issues accounted for about 44% of delays Sunday and roughly a quarter Monday, far above the typical 5% share.
- FlightAware logged more than 2,700 U.S. delays by late Wednesday, on top of about 21,000 delays from Sunday through Tuesday as sick calls and overtime strain increased.
- Officials cited controllers taking second jobs and trainees exiting the FAA Academy, compounding a preexisting shortage of roughly 3,000–3,800 certified controllers; about 50,000 TSA officers also missed pay.