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Tag: Flight Delays
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Air travel headaches continue as cancellations and delays may stretch on after shutdown ends
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Air travel disruptions continued on Wednesday, and even after lawmakers approved a deal to end the government shutdown, officials warned that delays and cancellations may persist.
The Department of Transportation on Wednesday night announced that 6% of scheduled flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports will remain canceled on Thursday, rolling back the initial plan to increase cancellations to 8% on Thursday.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said there has been a decline in air traffic controller callouts since the weekend. He said it’s a good sign that airlines may soon be able to resume normal operations.
“The FAA safety team is encouraged to see our air traffic control staffing surge, and they feel comfortable with pausing the reduction schedule to give us time to review the airspace,” Duffy said in a statement. “The data is going to guide what we do because the safety of the American people comes first.”
More than 900 U.S. flights had been canceled as of 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, according to data from the tracking site FlightAware. Another 2,203 flights were delayed, though not all of those delays were due to staffing.
Tuesday had fewer flight delays and cancellations than previous days. Air traffic control towers reported minimal staffing shortages with only 11 staffing triggers, or times when the air traffic controller levels fell below planned minimums, compared to the 81 that occurred on Saturday. On Wednesday, there were four staffing triggers.
But even once the government reopens, reversing the flight cuts will not be immediate, Duffy said on Tuesday. The process may happen gradually, as the cuts themselves were phased in, he said. Duffy said he and FAA safety officials would look at relevant data, including pilot complaints, incidents where planes fly too close together, and runway incursions before reversing any of the cuts.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC that he believed the airline’s operations would normalize shortly after the end of the shutdown.
Delta had 2,500 cancellations in recent days, which Bastian said was a “crazy amount” that had cost the airline significantly. Travelers should be able to fly as scheduled for Thanksgiving as long as the shutdown ends soon, Bastian said.
“We’re going to be OK for Thanksgiving. We’re going to be OK,” he said. “We got to get the vote done, and so we’re counting on Congress doing their job and making that happen. But Thanksgiving will be fine.”
The uncertainty is leaving flyers anxious.
“We’re just hoping and praying for the best,” said Marlyn Mayo, who was flying from Washington, D.C., to Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas.
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11/10: CBS Evening News
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Flyers describe “mass chaos” at airports; Fetterman, Sanders’ stances show shutdown split.
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Government shutdown costing the economy billions of dollars each week
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With bipartisan congressional talks to end the U.S. government shutdown bogging down on Friday, the hit to the national economy is growing, experts said.
“Even if there is a reopening of the government in the next couple of weeks, you’re going to see a visible and permanent loss of economic activity as a result of the government shutdown,” Greg Daco, chief economist at consulting firm EY-Parthenon, told CBS News.
Estimates of the economic impact range from $7 billion to $16 billion per week, with the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers, a U.S. government agency, forecasting a weekly loss of $15 billion. A recent CBS News poll found that 54% of Americans said they are “very concerned” about how the shutdown is affecting the economy.
Here’s where the shutdown, now on Day 38, is hitting the economy hardest.
Federal workers
Hundreds of thousands of government employees are going without pay during the shutdown, forcing many to take out loans or seek out temporary jobs to make ends meet.
The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, estimates that at least 670,000 federal workers are furloughed and roughly 730,000 are working without pay.
The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan federal agency that provides analysis to lawmakers, said in a letter last month that the reduction in hours worked by furloughed federal employees alone could end up costing the economy $14 billion by year-end if the shutdown stretches to Thanksgiving.
Although government workers are expected to receive back pay once the stalemate ends, some employees are likely to start to pull back on spending, which could ripple through the economy, said Mark Zandi, chief economist at financial research firm Moody’s Analytics.
Consumers
The interruption in food-stamp benefits during the shutdown for the more than 40 million Americans enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program is also temporarily sapping consumer spending, Zandi said.
Spending could soon rebound after a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to provide full federal benefits to states by Friday. Still, the suspension of food stamps comes as many low- and middle-income Americans face other financial strains, including a spike in Affordable Care Act health insurance rates.
“There’s all kinds of funding that’s not getting paid out, and that will impact the ability and willingness of these households to spend,” Zandi said.
Small businesses
One key sector of the economy feeling the pinch is small businesses, many of which rely on government loans and business from federal agencies to stay afloat.
For example, the shutdown is preventing the Small Business Administration from distributing $170 million in federally guaranteed loans per day to hundreds of smaller employers, an agency spokesperson told CBS News. As of Wednesday, that amounted to a total loss of $4.5 billion in capital for more than 8,300 small businesses, according to SBA.
Federal contractors
The government employs millions of contract workers in custodial, information technology and other roles. However, that activity has stopped during the shutdown, depriving many private businesses of revenue.
Grace Zwemmer, an associate economist at Oxford Economics, said the investment advisory firm estimates that roughly $800 million in federal awards are at risk of disruption each week the shutdown drags on. Around 5.2 million federal contractor workers stand to be impacted, according to unofficial estimates, she added.
“A prolonged shutdown could significantly impact these individuals by impacting the cash flow for the contractors, potentially leading to furloughs, pay cuts or layoffs, with the risks greater for small business contractors,” Zwemmer said.
An Oxford Economics report this week noted that recent jobless claims data point to a rise in private-sector layoffs in states most exposed to the shutdown.
Travel companies
The travel industry is feeling the impact after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines to cut thousands of flights across the U.S. starting Friday.
As of Wednesday, the industry had already lost roughly $5 billion in travel spending, according to Erik Hansen, head of government relations at the U.S. Travel Association.
“The timing couldn’t be worse-just weeks before the busiest travel period of the year,” he said.
Economic growth
Overall, the government shutdown is expected to take a toll on U.S. gross domestic product, the total output of goods and services.
The CBO estimates that the drag on economic activity from the government closure will reduce annualized GDP growth in the final three months of the year by 1 to 2 percentage points, depending on how long the shutdown lasts.
While economists expect most of the decline in growth to be recovered when the government reopens and as spending and commercial activity ramp back up, the CBO forecasts a permanent economic loss of $7 billion to $14 billion. Still, that is a tiny fraction of the $30 trillion economy.
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See how often flights have been delayed at major airports during the government shutdown
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Facing a shortage of air traffic controllers, data shows flight delays are on the rise as the government shutdown drags on. It’s a trend that is expected to continue as federal officials plan to cut travel by 10% at 40 airports starting Friday.
Nearly a quarter of flights arrived late into 16 of America’s busiest airports in the week after air traffic controllers missed their first paycheck on Oct. 28, according to a CBS News analysis of data from aviation company Cirium. That’s compared with 18% of flights arriving late in September.
Fifteen of those airports are included on the list obtained by CBS News of airports that will be affected by the 10% cut in air traffic. Some major airports, including those in Las Vegas and Charlotte, were not included in the data.
Delays were more significant in some areas than others. Staffing shortages and weather conditions compounded delays in New York City last week. From Oct. 28 to Monday, fewer than 65% of flights arrived on time into the area’s three airports. More than 81% of flights landed on time at the airports in September.
Seattle and Denver’s airports, on the other hand, have had more flights arrive and depart on time over the same timeframe than in September.
In the first few weeks of the shutdown, the percentage of flights arriving or departing on time had not dropped significantly at most of these airports, the data shows. But many airports experienced their worst days last week. About 43% of cancellations from the shutdown’s start on Oct. 1 to Monday happened in the last week of that timeframe.
More air traffic controllers have not been coming to work during the shutdown, with some opting to take on second jobs to make up for lost pay. On CBS News’ “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said controllers are “confronted with a decision: do I put food on my kids’ table, do I put gas in the car, do I pay my rent or do I go to work and not get paid?”
The FAA has issued at least 125 ground delays or stops due to staffing issues since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, compared with 26 in September, according to a CBS News analysis of Air Traffic Control System Command Center Advisories. That doesn’t include staffing delays at control towers not based at airports, which also manage air traffic.
Before the decision to cut air travel by 10%, Duffy had warned delays and cancellations would get worse if the shutdown continued, and cautioned the FAA would consider closing some airspace.
“You will see mass flight delays, you’ll see mass cancellations,” he said. “And you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
Travelers can view the FAA’s advisories to see airports are affected by delays or closures.
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Flight Delays Tied to Government Shutdown Expected to Get Worse: Trump Admin
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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Friday he expects more flight delays and disruptions over the next week as the government shutdown impacts the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Coming into this weekend and then the week after, I think you are going to see even more disruptions in the airspace,” Duffy said on Fox News.
The government shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers to work without pay, sparking staffing shortages at multiple airports including the major hubs of Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington, D.C.
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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Aviation experts tell White House things are
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The White House held a roundtable on Thursday with aviation experts to discuss the impact of the government shutdown on U.S. airports. Chris Sununu, president and CEO of Airlines for America, joins “The Takeout” to break down the discussion.
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Senate Republicans head to White House as government shutdown enters fourth week
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As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday — not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands.Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.With both sides showing no signs of movement, it’s unclear how long the stalemate will last — even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programs will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead.“I think the president’s ready to get involved on having the discussion” about extending the subsidies, said Senate Republican leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday. “But I don’t think they are prepared to do that until (Democrats) open up the government.”Missed paychecks and programs running out of moneyWhile Capitol Hill remains at a standstill, the effects of the shutdown are worsening. Federal workers are set to miss additional paychecks amid total uncertainty about when they might eventually get paid. Government services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and Head Start preschool programs that serve needy families are facing potential cutoffs in funding. On Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported air controller shortages and flight delays in cities across the United States.Still, there has been little urgency in Washington as each side believes the other will eventually cave.“Our position remains the same, we want to end the shutdown as soon as we can and fix the ACA premium crisis that looms over 20 million hardworking Americans,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday, referring to the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire in December.Schumer called the White House meeting a “pep rally” and said it was “shameful” that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of town during the shutdown.November deadlinesMembers of both parties acknowledge that as the shutdown drags on, it is becoming less likely every day that Congress will be able to either extend the subsidies or fund the government through the regular appropriations process. The House GOP bill that Senate Democrats have now rejected 11 times would only keep the government open through Nov. 21.Thune on Monday hinted that Republicans may propose a longer extension of current funding instead of passing individual spending bills if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Congress would need to pass an extension beyond Nov. 21, he said, “if not something on a much longer-term basis.”Democrats are focused on Nov. 1, when next year’s enrollment period for the ACA coverage begins and millions of people will sign up for their coverage without the expanded subsidy help that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once those sign-ups begin, they say, it would be much harder to restore the subsidies even if they did have a bipartisan compromise.“Very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year,” Schumer said.What about Trump?Tuesday’s White House meeting will be a chance for Republican senators to engage with the president on the shutdown after he has been more involved in foreign policy and other issues.The president last week dismissed Democratic demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that Republican senators will talk strategy with the president at Tuesday’s lunch. “Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it, and he’ll give us his ideas, and we’ll talk about ours,” Hoeven said. “Anything we can do to try to get Democrats to join us” and pass the Republican bill to reopen the government, Hoeven said.Still, GOP lawmakers expect Trump to stay in line with their current posture to reject negotiations until the government is open.“Until they put something reasonable on the table to talk about, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.Democrats say they believe Trump has to be more involved for the government to reopen.“He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”___Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves and Matt Brown contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON —As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday — not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands.
Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year.
With both sides showing no signs of movement, it’s unclear how long the stalemate will last — even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programs will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead.
“I think the president’s ready to get involved on having the discussion” about extending the subsidies, said Senate Republican leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Monday. “But I don’t think they are prepared to do that until (Democrats) open up the government.”
Missed paychecks and programs running out of money
While Capitol Hill remains at a standstill, the effects of the shutdown are worsening. Federal workers are set to miss additional paychecks amid total uncertainty about when they might eventually get paid. Government services like the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, and Head Start preschool programs that serve needy families are facing potential cutoffs in funding. On Monday, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers. The Federal Aviation Administration has reported air controller shortages and flight delays in cities across the United States.
Still, there has been little urgency in Washington as each side believes the other will eventually cave.
“Our position remains the same, we want to end the shutdown as soon as we can and fix the ACA premium crisis that looms over 20 million hardworking Americans,” said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Monday, referring to the expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies that expire in December.
Schumer called the White House meeting a “pep rally” and said it was “shameful” that House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has kept the House out of town during the shutdown.
November deadlines
Members of both parties acknowledge that as the shutdown drags on, it is becoming less likely every day that Congress will be able to either extend the subsidies or fund the government through the regular appropriations process. The House GOP bill that Senate Democrats have now rejected 11 times would only keep the government open through Nov. 21.
Thune on Monday hinted that Republicans may propose a longer extension of current funding instead of passing individual spending bills if the shutdown doesn’t end soon. Congress would need to pass an extension beyond Nov. 21, he said, “if not something on a much longer-term basis.”
Democrats are focused on Nov. 1, when next year’s enrollment period for the ACA coverage begins and millions of people will sign up for their coverage without the expanded subsidy help that began during the COVID-19 pandemic. Once those sign-ups begin, they say, it would be much harder to restore the subsidies even if they did have a bipartisan compromise.
“Very soon Americans are going to have to make some really difficult choices about which health care plan they choose for next year,” Schumer said.
What about Trump?
Tuesday’s White House meeting will be a chance for Republican senators to engage with the president on the shutdown after he has been more involved in foreign policy and other issues.
The president last week dismissed Democratic demands as “crazy,” adding, “We’re just not going to do it.”
North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said that Republican senators will talk strategy with the president at Tuesday’s lunch. “Obviously, we’ll talk to him about it, and he’ll give us his ideas, and we’ll talk about ours,” Hoeven said. “Anything we can do to try to get Democrats to join us” and pass the Republican bill to reopen the government, Hoeven said.
Still, GOP lawmakers expect Trump to stay in line with their current posture to reject negotiations until the government is open.
“Until they put something reasonable on the table to talk about, I don’t think there’s anything to talk about,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy.
Democrats say they believe Trump has to be more involved for the government to reopen.
“He needs to get off the sidelines, get off the golf course,” said House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. “We know that House and Senate Republicans don’t do anything without getting permission from their boss, Donald J. Trump.”
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves and Matt Brown contributed to this report.
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Daily Charlotte flight delays in the hundreds now as government shutdown drags on
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Amid the ongoing federal government shutdown, daily flight delays in Charlotte have soared above 100 this week, as a nationwide shortage of air traffic controllers disrupts airport operations across the country.
From Monday through mid-day Thursday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport had more than 600 flight delays and four flights canceled, according to FlightAware, which provides real-time online flight information.
FlightAware data counted 261 delays on Monday, 133 on Tuesday, and more than 130 on Wednesday. By around 1 p.m. Thursday, about 100 flights had been delayed at CLT.
However, Charlotte airport officials said they are not anticipating any immediate impact to its operations, according to a Thursday, Oct. 9, statement sent to The Charlotte Observer. The airport said it did not have information for comparison of delayed or canceled flights from before the shutdown.
The shutdown started on Oct. 1, and led to a shortage of controllers, triggering delays at major airports serving large regions such as Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix and New York, according to multiple news reports.
Passengers travel through Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Major airports, such as CLT, are experiencing delays due to a government shutdown and a shortage of air traffic controllers. Charlotte Douglas International Airport Federal agencies limited in response
Sections of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which oversees the Federal Aviation Administration, are closed or have employees on furlough because of a funding lapse.
When reached by The Charlotte Observer on Thursday, FAA public affairs officials said they are out of the office as a result of the shutdown and will have limited ability to respond.
Union warns against ‘job action’
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said it does not support federal employees who participate in or promote activities that harm the airspace system or the reputation of air traffic workers, according to a message on the union’s website.
“Air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals take their responsibility to protect the safety of the flying public very seriously,” the organization stated. “Participating in a job action could result in removal from federal service. It is not only illegal, but it also undermines NATCA’s credibility and severely weakens our ability to effectively advocate for you and your families.”
NATCA represents about 20,000 U.S. air traffic controllers and aviation safety experts. The union is based in Washington, D.C., and is part of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
American Airlines is the largest provider of flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Major airports such as CLT are seeing the impact of air traffic controller shortages due to the government shutdown. John D. Simmons For the Observer CLT issues passenger guidance
CLT officials are continuing to monitor the situation and communicating with federal partners, Charlotte Douglas officals said Thursday.
The airport urges passengers to be inside the terminals two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. Charlotte airport officials added that passengers should contact their airline directly for flight updates.
Charlotte Douglas is the sixth-busiest airport in the world for takeoffs and landings. American Airlines is the dominant carrier at CLT, accounting for about 90% of the traffic.
An airline spokesperson was not immediately available to comment about the delays.
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Chase Jordan
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Staffing shortages cause more US flight delays as government shutdown reaches 7th day
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Staffing shortages led to more flight delays at airports across the U.S. on Tuesday as the federal government shutdown stretched into a seventh day, while union leaders for air traffic controllers and airport security screeners warned the situation was likely to get worse.The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, and at its air traffic control centers in Atlanta, Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agency temporarily slowed takeoffs of planes headed to the first three cities.Flight disruptions a day earlier also were tied to insufficient staffing during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1. The FAA reported issues on Monday at the airports in Burbank, California; Newark, New Jersey; and Denver.Despite the traffic snags, about 92% of the more than 23,600 flights departing from U.S. airports as of Tuesday afternoon took off on time, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.But the risk of wider impacts to the U.S. aviation system “is growing by the day” as federal workers whose jobs are deemed critical continue working without pay, travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said. The longer the shutdown drags on, the more likely it is to affect holiday travel plans in November, he said.”I’m gravely concerned that if the government remains shut down then, that it could disrupt, and possibly ruin, millions of Americans’ Thanksgiving holidays,” Harteveldt said in a statement.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that there has already been an uptick in air traffic controllers calling out sick at a few locations. When there aren’t enough controllers, the FAA must reduce the number of takeoffs and landings to maintain safety, which in turn causes flight delays and possible cancellations.That’s what happened Monday afternoon, when the control tower at Southern California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport shut down for several hours, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours.When a pilot preparing for takeoff radioed the tower, according to communications recorded by LiveATC.net, he was told: “The tower is closed due to staffing.” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the shutdown highlighted some issues his union’s members already face on a regular basis due to a national airspace system that is critically understaffed and relies on outdated equipment that tends to fail.A couple of controllers missing work can have a big impact at a small airport already operating with limited tower staffing, he said.”It’s not like we have other controllers that can suddenly come to that facility and staff them. There’s not enough people there,” Daniels said Tuesday. “There’s no overtime, and you have to be certified in that facility.”Air travel complications are likely to expand once a regularly scheduled payday arrives next week and air traffic controllers and TSA officers don’t receive any money, the union leader said. If the impasse between Republican and Democratic lawmakers on reopening the government persists, the workers will come under more pressure as their personal bills come due, Daniels said.”It’s completely unfair that an air traffic controller is the one that holds the burden of ‘see how long you can hang in there in order to allow this political process to play out,’” he said. Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees chapter that represents TSA workers, said he was hearing concerns from members about how they will be able to pay bills, including child support and mortgage payments, and if they’re at risk for termination if they have to miss work during the shutdown.”The employees are struggling. They’re assessing what they need to do and they’re assessing how this is all going to work out,” said Jones, who has worked as a screener since the TSA was established.Some TSA officers have already called in sick, but Jones said he did not think the numbers were big enough to cause significant problems and delays at airports.Aviation unions and U.S. airlines have called for the shutdown to end as soon as possible.The unions are also making appeals to food banks, grocery chains and airports to secure support for workers during the shutdown. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was offering federal workers $15 food vouchers and allowing them to park in the terminal, according to Jones.John Tiliacos, the chief operating officer of Florida’s Tampa International Airport, said the facility started preparing for the shutdown well before it began.Nicknamed “Operation Bald Eagle 2″ among airport staff, the efforts center around pulling together resources for the roughly 11,000 federal employees who are working at the airport without pay, including security screeners and air traffic controllers.Tiliacos said the help would include a food pantry, free bus rides to work and a program with the local utility provider to keep the lights on at the homes of the workers.”Whatever we can do to make life a little easier for these federal employees that allows them to continue coming to work and focus on keeping our airport operational, that’s what we’re prepared to do,” he said.
Staffing shortages led to more flight delays at airports across the U.S. on Tuesday as the federal government shutdown stretched into a seventh day, while union leaders for air traffic controllers and airport security screeners warned the situation was likely to get worse.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia, and at its air traffic control centers in Atlanta, Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agency temporarily slowed takeoffs of planes headed to the first three cities.
Flight disruptions a day earlier also were tied to insufficient staffing during the shutdown, which began Oct. 1. The FAA reported issues on Monday at the airports in Burbank, California; Newark, New Jersey; and Denver.
Despite the traffic snags, about 92% of the more than 23,600 flights departing from U.S. airports as of Tuesday afternoon took off on time, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
But the risk of wider impacts to the U.S. aviation system “is growing by the day” as federal workers whose jobs are deemed critical continue working without pay, travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said. The longer the shutdown drags on, the more likely it is to affect holiday travel plans in November, he said.
“I’m gravely concerned that if the government remains shut down then, that it could disrupt, and possibly ruin, millions of Americans’ Thanksgiving holidays,” Harteveldt said in a statement.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that there has already been an uptick in air traffic controllers calling out sick at a few locations. When there aren’t enough controllers, the FAA must reduce the number of takeoffs and landings to maintain safety, which in turn causes flight delays and possible cancellations.
That’s what happened Monday afternoon, when the control tower at Southern California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport shut down for several hours, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours.
When a pilot preparing for takeoff radioed the tower, according to communications recorded by LiveATC.net, he was told: “The tower is closed due to staffing.”
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said the shutdown highlighted some issues his union’s members already face on a regular basis due to a national airspace system that is critically understaffed and relies on outdated equipment that tends to fail.
A couple of controllers missing work can have a big impact at a small airport already operating with limited tower staffing, he said.
“It’s not like we have other controllers that can suddenly come to that facility and staff them. There’s not enough people there,” Daniels said Tuesday. “There’s no overtime, and you have to be certified in that facility.”
Air travel complications are likely to expand once a regularly scheduled payday arrives next week and air traffic controllers and TSA officers don’t receive any money, the union leader said. If the impasse between Republican and Democratic lawmakers on reopening the government persists, the workers will come under more pressure as their personal bills come due, Daniels said.
“It’s completely unfair that an air traffic controller is the one that holds the burden of ‘see how long you can hang in there in order to allow this political process to play out,’” he said.
Johnny Jones, secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Government Employees chapter that represents TSA workers, said he was hearing concerns from members about how they will be able to pay bills, including child support and mortgage payments, and if they’re at risk for termination if they have to miss work during the shutdown.
“The employees are struggling. They’re assessing what they need to do and they’re assessing how this is all going to work out,” said Jones, who has worked as a screener since the TSA was established.
Some TSA officers have already called in sick, but Jones said he did not think the numbers were big enough to cause significant problems and delays at airports.
Aviation unions and U.S. airlines have called for the shutdown to end as soon as possible.
The unions are also making appeals to food banks, grocery chains and airports to secure support for workers during the shutdown. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was offering federal workers $15 food vouchers and allowing them to park in the terminal, according to Jones.
John Tiliacos, the chief operating officer of Florida’s Tampa International Airport, said the facility started preparing for the shutdown well before it began.
Nicknamed “Operation Bald Eagle 2” among airport staff, the efforts center around pulling together resources for the roughly 11,000 federal employees who are working at the airport without pay, including security screeners and air traffic controllers.
Tiliacos said the help would include a food pantry, free bus rides to work and a program with the local utility provider to keep the lights on at the homes of the workers.
“Whatever we can do to make life a little easier for these federal employees that allows them to continue coming to work and focus on keeping our airport operational, that’s what we’re prepared to do,” he said.
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United Airlines ground stop sees all planes briefly held across U.S. and Canada
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All United Airlines flights departing in the U.S. and Canada were briefly suspended Tuesday night, as the airline asked the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a ground stop over an unspecified technological issue.
United, which grounded its flights for about half an hour, said it had “experienced a brief connectivity issue just before midnight Central time on Tuesday, but has since resumed normal operations.”
It was the second time in less than two months that the U.S. airline had requested a halt to its departures over an unspecified technical glitch. In early August, United flights were subjected to ground stop across major U.S. airports including Newark, Denver, Houston and Chicago, which lasted several hours.
CBS News
The airline said at the time that it was a “technology issue,” which caused widespread delays throughout its network.
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Copenhagen Airport shut down for hours by large, unidentified drones flying nearby
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Copenhagen, Denmark — Flights at Copenhagen Airport resumed early Tuesday after being suspended or diverted overnight because of drone sightings. Police reported two to three large, unidentified drones were seen Monday night, forcing outgoing flights at Scandinavia’s largest airport to be grounded and others diverted to airports nearby.
“Copenhagen Airport has reopened after being closed due to drone activity. However, there will be delays and some canceled departures. Passengers are advised to check with their airline for further information,” the airport’s website said.
Local media showed a significant police presence in the vicinity of the airport.
A drone incident the same evening at the Oslo, Norway, airport forced all traffic to move to one runway, according to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. Traffic later returned to normal and it’s unclear who was responsible.
The unknown perpetrator in Copenhagen was a capable drone pilot with the ability to fly them many miles to reach the airport, Jens Jespersen of the Copenhagen Police said during a news conference Tuesday morning. The pilot seemed to be showing off their skills, he said.
STEVEN KNAP/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty
“The number, size, flight patterns, time over the airport. All this together… indicates that it is a capable actor. Which capable actor, I do not know,” Jespersen said.
Police chose not to shoot down the drones due to the risk posed by their location near the airport full of passengers, planes on runways and nearby fuel depots, he said.
Investigators are looking at how the drones reached the airport — whether it was by land or possibly on boats coming through the strategic straights into the Baltic Sea.
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Jespersen said authorities could not rule out the possibility of the drones being part of a Russian hybrid attack.
Russian drone and warplane incursions into Europe raise concern
Security concerns in northern Europe have been heightened following an increase in Russian sabotage activities and multiple drone and fighter jet incursions into NATO airspace in recent weeks, which have seen some of America’s European NATO allies accuse Moscow of serious provocations amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian drones were shot down by Polish and allied NATO warplanes after crossing into Polish airspace on Sept. 9. Ten days later, Estonia said several Russian fighter jets entered its airspace.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics said on social media that Russia was testing NATO’s political and military response and aiming to reduce Western support for Ukraine by compelling countries to redirect resources toward the defense of alliance countries.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday denied that Russian planes entered Estonia’s airspace, saying they remained in international airspace and accusing European nations of “escalating tensions and provoking a confrontational atmosphere.”
Jonatan Vseviov, who heads the Estonian foreign ministry, told the country’s ERR public broadcaster, however, that the government had “irrefutable evidence” of the Russian incursion, adding: “The fact that Russia is provocatively and dangerously violating the airspace of a NATO country is one thing. The fact that it is openly lying to the whole world about it is another.”
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Airlines scrap thousands of flights as wintry weather disrupts travel
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Frigid temperatures and blistering winds continued to disrupt air travel for a third straight day as airlines scratched thousands of flights amid a brutal bout of winter weather.
As of 5:01 p.m. Eastern Time carriers had canceled nearly 2,700 flights into and out of the U.S. on Monday and delayed roughly 7,000 others, according to data from FlightAware shows. The arctic blast, which began Friday, caused thousands more flight cancellations and more than 16,000 delays over the weekend, according to the tracking service.
As of early Monday, 142 million people in the U.S. were under wind chill alerts, while 100 million had received winter weather alerts, according to CBS New senior weather and climate producer David Parkinson. The bitter cold and snow, which has shuttered schools, blocked roads and knocked out power in a number of states, is expected to taper off around midweek.
But before it recedes the storm could bring sub-zero temperatures to some southern states, while bone-chilling winds blowing from the Northern Rockies and into Iowa could plunge temperatures to a near-record low of around 30 degrees below zero in the Midwest, according to the National Weather Service. The freezing temperatures come as Iowa voters kick off the Republican presidential contest, raising concerns about voter turnout.
Travelers in some cities took the brunt of the harsh conditions. At Chicago’s Midway International Airport, 30% of flights were canceled, while 11% of flights at the city’s O’Hare International were scrapped, according to FlightAware.
“Severe winter weather has caused delays across our operations including at Chicago O’Hare and George Bush Intercontinental Airport,” United Airlines said in a statement Monday. “Our operations team continues to monitor weather developments across the country and adjust our schedule accordingly.”
Airlines also nixed roughly a fifth of flights at Dallas Love Field Airport, Buffalo Niagara International Airport and Nashville International Airport.
Southwest Airlines on Monday canceled 400 trips, or 16% of its daily scheduled flights, the most of any major U.S. airline. The cancellations mark the latest of several snafus that have affected the airline’s flight schedules in recent years as it struggles with software system issues and worker shortages.
The deep freeze isn’t the only factor behind the recent rash of flight cancellations and delays. Hundreds of flights operated by Alaska Airways and United Airlines’ were canceled last week after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered the grounding of both airlines’ Boeing 737 Max 9 aircrafts.
The orders came after a “door plug” fell off an Alaska Airlines Max 9 plane during a flight earlier this month, prompting the FAA to launch an investigation into the planes’ manufacturing.
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Southwest Airlines cancels hundreds of flights, disrupting some holiday travelers
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After thousands of U.S. flights were canceled or delayed over the holidays in 2022, most holiday travelers this year are off to a cheerier start this Christmas. But a few trouble spots were emerging on Christmas Day.
Roughly 135 flights to, from or within the U.S. had been been cancelled as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, while just over 1,100 were delayed, according to tracking service FlightAware.
Airlines had canceled only 1.2% of U.S. flights so far this year as of Dec. 22, the lowest in five years. Nearly 3 million passengers were expected to pass through domestic airports during the busy holiday period, up 16% from 2022.
Southwest flights canceled
Not everyone got off so lucky. Some passengers at Chicago’s Midway International Airport this Christmas Eve were left stranded on Christmas Eve, according to CBS News Chicago, with the U.S. carrier most disrupted during last year’s holiday period — Southwest Airlines — again experiencing problems. Southwest attributed the delays to foggy weather in Chicago, but passengers also told CBS2 that a shortage of workers was a factor.
Those snafus also affected passengers at Denver International Airport, with Southwest canceling 293 flights on Sunday, while nearly 1,300 trips were delayed, FlightAware data shows.
“We had dense fog in Chicago that forced us to discontinue operating last night and into this morning,” Chris Mainz, a Southwest Airlines spokesman, told CBS News Colorado.
Southwest on Monday morning canceled 101 flights, or 2% of its daily trips, while 397 flights were delayed, FlightAware data showed. By comparison, Delta and United Airlines canceled five flights.
“[Y]ou guys ruined my Christmas two years in a row,” one person posted Friday on X.
Meanwhile, a winter storm in the Northern Plains is bringing snow, ice and riskier road conditions Monday to the region stretching from northern Kansas through Nebraska, the Dakotas and parts of Minnesota, the Weather Channel reported.
Southwest earlier this month agreed to a $140 million settlement with the federal government over the chaos last year that stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays. Southwest has previously agreed to pay more than $600 million in refunds and reimbursements to customers.
“This is a message to the entire airline industry: They must take care of passengers, or we’ll use the full extent of our authority to hold them accountable,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted on Dec. 18.
—The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Millions of Americans take to the roads for Thanksgiving
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Millions of Americans take to the roads for Thanksgiving – CBS News
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Flights canceled and cruise itineraries changed as Hurricane Lee heads to New England and Canada
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Hurricane Lee is expected to make landfall in Canada this weekend while also bringing tropical storm conditions and flooding to parts of New England. Some flights and cruises in these areas are already being affected Friday as the storm barrels up the Atlantic coast.
According to FlightAware, 23 flights at Boston’s Logan International Airport were canceled as of Friday afternoon, as were 15 flights at Nantucket Airport and seven at Martha’s Vineyard Airport. Cape Air, which flies short flights to several Massachusetts airports and in the Caribbean, had canceled 37 flights by Friday afternoon, according to FlightAware, which tracks aviation.
Lee brought tropical storm conditions to Bermuda on Thursday and several airlines have offered waivers to travelers flying in and out of the island nation. Both American and Delta Airlines have offered to waive change fees for flyers traveling to or from Bermuda on Sept. 14 and 15.
American, Delta and United Airlines have offered waivers for flyers traveling to or from several airports in cities that are expected to be affected, including Bangor, Maine and Boston. The travel days that are expected to be most affected in these areas are Sept. 16 or 17.
Those who are traveling to New England or Canada on these airlines can check if their change fee has been waived on the airlines’ websites.
Flights are not the only mode of transportation being affected by the storm. Royal Caribbean altered the itineraries of four cruise ships ahead of the hurricane, including one that was scheduled to dock at a port in St. Maarten on Thursday, but did not due to the storm, according to the group that runs the port.
Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas ship was supposed to visit Halifax, Canada on Sept. 16 but instead will spend the day in Manhattan after leaving from Cape Liberty in New Jersey on Friday, according to Travel Market Report, which monitors travel trends.
Norwegian Cruise Lines has also canceled the planned stops of its Norwegian Escape ship. After leaving Boston on Tuesday, the ship docked in Eastport, Main instead of Portland. It was supposed to go to Halifax, Canada but instead will head to New York on Sept. 17 where it will finish out the remaining two days of the cruise.
Prince Cruise lines has also diverted ships away from Halifax. Instead of stopping in the Canadian city on Thursday, the Emerald Princess left Saint John, Newfoundland and went straight to its homeport in Brooklyn, New York. It arrived one day earlier than expected, on Friday, a representative for the cruise line told CBS News via email.
The cruise line’s Caribbean Princess ship will dock in Boston on Friday to brace for the storm. The rest of the itinerary for the 10-day cruise may also change due to weather. “We sincerely apologize for the disappointment and inconvenience these unexpected changes cause our guests, but greatly appreciate their patience and understanding as we prioritize everyone’s safety,” the representative said.
American Cruise Lines, which has several small ships in Portland, Bangor and New Bedford, Massachusetts, has docked all of its ships in the region ahead of the storm, a representative for the cruise line told CBS News via email. “Further itinerary adjustments will be made, as necessary, according to the weather,” the representative said.
CBS News has reached out to these and other cruise lines for more information and is awaiting response.
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Hurricane Idalia shutters Florida airports and cancels more than 1,000 flights
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Hurricane Idalia is causing major flight disruptions across Florida and beyond after making landfall on the state’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
The storm, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, by Wednesday morning had canceled more than 1,000 flights and delayed nearly 900 more traveling to and from U.S. airports, data from flight-status tracker FlightAware shows.
The hurricane has since been downgraded to a Category 1 about 2 1/2 hours after landfall, as wind speeds decreased to 90 mph. Its rating was previously changed to Category 2 roughly an hour after landfall.
Three major Florida airports, including Tampa International Airport, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport closed on Tuesday ahead of the storm, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) Tuesday that it was re-routing and limiting flights in Florida.
Tampa International Airport is reopening to incoming flights only on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Eastern time, it said in a post on social media. The airport plans to resume full operations at 3 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, according to a notice on its website.
“TPA is fortunate to have avoided the worst effects of such a dangerous storm, after acting in an abundance of caution to protect the safety of our passengers, employees and facilities,” Tampa International Airport CEO Joe Lopano said in a statement on the site. “We’re focused now on returning to full operational capacity to continue serving our community and to assist in recovery efforts for our fellow Floridians.”
In a 12:30 p.m. press conference, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the eye of the storm had left Florida. But storm surge was expected to continue and worsen as the tide rose later in the day.
Gainesville Airport and Tallahassee Airport, both of which closed on Tuesday, will reopen Thursday “first thing in the morning,” DeSantis said in the briefing.
Other area airports, such as Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, are experiencing heavy travel disruptions, the FAA’s airport event tracker shows.
Bloomberg
Idalia touched down in Florida’s Big Bend region early Wednesday, whipping the state’s Gulf Coast with maximum sustained winds of 125 miles per hour.
Southwest Airlines on Wednesday reported that 211, or 5%, of its flights have been canceled while another 202 trips were delayed, according to FlightAware data. The hurricane has also affected flight schedules for Delta and American Airlines, each of which has reported more than 200 combined flight cancellations and delays, the data shows.
Those airlines, alongside other major American carriers, such as United, have issued travel advisories for the storm and are allowing affected travelers to rebook their flights for free, their respective websites show.
Flights aren’t the only form of travel Hurricane Idalia has thwarted. Amtrak has canceled passenger train trips for 10 of its East Coast routes scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, the company’s service alert shows.
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500 flights cancelled as U.K.’s air traffic control system hit by “nightmare scenario”
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London — Thousands of travelers faced flight delays and uncertainty Monday after the United Kingdom’s air traffic control system was hit by technical problems that resulted in the cancellation of at least 500 flights in and out of British airports.
Britain’s National Air Traffic Service (NATS) said in a statement to CBS News that a technical issue had forced restrictions to the flow of aircraft in and out of the U.K. on Monday, the end of a long weekend and one of the busiest holidays of the year for travel, amid reports of widespread flight delays into London from popular vacation destinations.
Hours later, NATS said it had “identified and remedied” the technical issue and was “now working closely with airlines and airports to manage the flights affected as efficiently as possible.” The agency did not say when normal service might be resumed.
BBC News said more than 230 flights departing the U.K. were cancelled Monday, as well as at least 271 that had been scheduled to arrive in the U.K.
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Scottish airline Loganair said earlier on social media that there had been a network-wide failure of U.K. air traffic control computer systems and warned that international flights could be impacted.
CBS News producer Emmet Lyons said he was stuck on a runway in the Spanish island of Majorca and the pilot on his flight back to the U.K. told all the passengers they were being held for an indeterminate period due to a major issue with air traffic control in the U.K.
Speaking to the BBC, Alistair Rosenschein, an aviation consultant and former Boeing 747 pilot for British Airways, said it appeared that the entire air traffic control system had gone down across the U.K. He said the equivalent situation for vehicular traffic would be if every road was closed in the country.
“The disruptions are huge and customers around the world [will] have to be put up in hotels if the delay is particularly too long,” he added. “It’s a bit of a nightmare scenario, really.”
More than 6,000 flights were due in and out of the U.K. on Monday, according to the BBC.
Michele Robson, a former air traffic control worker, said technical issues like this usually “only last a couple of hours,” making Monday’s shutdown “unusual.”
“Nobody really knows at this point how long it’s going to take,” she told BBC News.
“There was a flight planning system failure this morning which affected both centers in the U.K.,” Robson said as she waited for a flight from the small British island of Jersey to London.
“It looks like there’s been what they would call a ‘zero rate’ put on, where it means that no aircraft can take off inbound to the U.K., or probably outbound. It would generally be them trying to land things that were already in the air.”
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