Shutdown woes deepen flight delays, cancellations at airports

This weekend’s journey woes are shaping as much as be even worse than anticipated.

Staffing points at dozens of air site visitors management services throughout the nation are fueling flight delays at lots of the nation’s largest airports.

It’s led to lots of of cancellations past what the Federal Aviation Administration ordered airways to chop — and hundreds of further delays.

By 5:15 p.m. EST Saturday, greater than 5,300 flights had been delayed nationwide, in response to knowledge from FlightConscious.

At among the most congested East Coast hubs, flyers bumped into multi-hour disruptions.

Average floor delays topped 5 and a half hours at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), the world’s busiest airport and mega-hub for hometown provider Delta Air Lines.

Travelers confronted common delays nearing 4 hours at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), together with appreciable backups on the New York City area’s different two main hubs.

Cancellations, delays high expectations

For vacationers, it is added chaos after the FAA this week implemented mandatory flight cutbacks at many of the nation’s busiest airports. Airlines were expected to cancel 4% of departures at 40 busy hubs this weekend.

That had initially led to some 800 cancellations nationwide heading into Saturday.

But the cancellations tallied more than 1,200 by early evening as snarled traffic and staffing woes affected even more flights than expected.

Read more: How each airline is handling flight cuts during the shutdown: What to know

According to FAA data reviewed by TPG, around 30 air traffic control facilities reported “staffing triggers” heading into Saturday night.

Read more: Flight delayed or canceled? Here’s what to do next

Growing strain on air traffic controllers

Air traffic controllers and other critical aviation sector employees have been working without pay since the start of the government shutdown — ongoing since Oct. 1.

Over the past week, a growing number of controllers calling off work, further straining an already short-staffed profession.

Those problems, and the resulting flight delays, have worsened even as the FAA began enforcing its mandatory flight restrictions on Friday.

Nearly 20,000 flights have been delayed since Wednesday, FlightAware data showed.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), the second-busiest hub for American Airlines, spent parts of Saturday morning under a staffing-fueled ground stop.

“We ask passengers for patience and understanding as we navigate this unprecedented situation together,” the airport said in a social media post.

That’s after Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) ran into “significant delays and cancellations” Friday evening.

More turbulence ahead

There’s no sign of the disruptions easing, either. Airlines have already scrapped close to 930 departures for Sunday, in keeping with the FAA’s restrictions. By late next week, cancellations are expected to hit one in every 10 flights out of the 40 major airports affected.

And without a deal to reopen the federal government, it’s hard to envision any immediate, major improvement in air traffic control staffing.

In a statement Friday, a trade group for the largest U.S. airlines implored Congressional leaders to find common ground to end the longest shutdown in history.

“We implore Congress to act with extreme urgency to get the federal government reopened, get federal workers paid and get our airspace back to normal operations,” Airlines for America said. “Time is of the essence.”

What should you do if you’re flying?

TPG has complete coverage of the government shutdown’s impact on travelers.