With Congress at an impasse, a federal government continued to take its toll on the nation’s travelers on Saturday. Southern California was no exception.
Traveler discomfort is expected to continue Saturday, Nov. 8, as flight delays and cancellations imposed by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a result of staffing issues among air-traffic controllers at 40 major airports amid the ongoing federal government shutdown ramp upward.
Controllers are considered essential workers who are instructed to continue working despite the closure, and not receiving paychecks. But federal transportation officials said the issue has led to “staffing triggers” at air traffic facilities nationally, leading to “strain on the system.”
As of 7 a.m. Saturday, 10,844 flights had been delayed and 1,110 canceled nationwide, according to the website FlightAware. This includes 20 flight delays and 19 cancellations at Los Angeles International Airport.
The federal agency reported 2,740 flight delays last weekend, with the situation only expected to worsen without a resolution to the government shutdown.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that capacity would be reduced at 40 high-volume airports beginning Friday. According to a DOT statement issued Thursday night, flight capacity at the affected airports will be cut by 4% beginning Friday, 6% on Tuesday, 8% next Thursday and 10% by next Friday.
