Transportation secretary says government shutdown adds stress on air traffic controllers

Key Points

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that the ongoing government shutdown is exacerbating stress for air traffic controllers, who are already dealing with the pressures of their demanding jobs.
• With controllers working without pay, there are growing concerns about their ability to meet personal financial obligations, which may distract them from ensuring flight safety.
• The Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes airline service for small communities, is at risk of running out of funding shortly, impacting air travel options for those areas.
• Duffy highlighted that an increase in controllers calling out sick could lead to flight delays or cancellations if the shutdown continues, further complicating air travel logistics.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that the government shutdown is putting more stress on air traffic controllers who already have an extremely stressful job, as well as threatening a program that small communities rely on to help subsidize airline service.

Controllers are expected to continue working without a paycheck, Duffy said, so they are now worried about how to pay their bills in addition to worrying about keeping flights safe. And there have started to be instances of controllers calling out sick, leading to delays at several airports Monday.

“Now what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, how am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home. How do I put food on the table? I’m working six days a week. Do I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful to think about how I can make extra money because the government may not provide me a paycheck?” Duffy said.

Travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport, where Duffy held his news conference, said controllers should be paid for their work.

“Everyone should get paid for what they are doing. Of course it bothers me,” said Daniel Johansson from North Carolina.

A traveler from Utah, Nancy Taylor, agreed.

“Yeah, that would be hard to work for no pay," Taylor said. "But I think they understand the importance of their job. And the safety that provides to us as travelers. They need to get paid.”

The Transportation Department has been able to keep the air traffic controller academy in Oklahoma City open for now with funding from previous years, but Duffy is still concerned about the potential impact on efforts to hire and train new controllers in the hope of eliminating a longstanding shortage. Duffy said the support staff who train controllers after they come out of the academy could be laid off.

The head of the air traffic controllers union, Nick Daniels, stayed away from political comments, but he urged Congress to end the shutdown.

“We need to bring this shutdown to a close, so that the Federal Aviation Administration and the committed aviation safety professionals can put this distraction behind us, and completely focus on their vital work,” Daniels said.

Duffy said there has already been a small uptick in controllers calling out sick in a few places. Anytime that gets worse and creates a shortage of controllers, the FAA reduces the number of takeoffs and landings to ensure controllers aren't overwhelmed and the system remains safe. But that creates delays and possibly cancellations. Near the end of the 35-day shutdown during the first Trump administration, there were widespread flight delays because of shortages of controllers.

By Monday evening, the FAA was reporting that staffing shortages were creating delays in the Burbank, Newark and Denver airports. The worst problems were in Burbank, where California Gov. Gavin Newsom said no controllers were on duty during the evening, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours at that airport.

The Essential Air Service program that subsidizes airline service to small communities across the country will also quickly run out of money. Duffy said that program enjoys strong bipartisan support and provides an important lifeline to many small communities. It is especially important in Alaska, where flying is the only way to travel between many communities.

“That money runs out this Sunday. So there’s many small communities across the country that will now no longer have the resources to make sure they have air service in their community,” Duffy said.

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Associated Press videographer Joseph B. Frederick contributed to this report from Newark, New Jersey.