Staffing shortages cause more US flight delays as government shutdown
reaches 7th day
[October 08, 2025]
By RIO YAMAT and JOSH FUNK
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.”
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A plane lands at Harry Reid International Airport, Tuesday, Oct. 7,
2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
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 already have 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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