Key Takeaways
- Three major Texas airports face ground delays until at least 9pm ET
- Dallas Love Field experiencing 74-minute delays, the worst affected
- Over 13,000 air traffic controllers working without pay during shutdown
- FAA warns additional delays possible at Washington DC airports
Travel chaos has hit major US airports as staffing shortages during the ongoing government shutdown spark significant flight delays across Texas. The Federal Aviation Administration has implemented ground delays at Dallas Fort Worth International, Austin-Bergstrom International, and Dallas Love Field airports, affecting hundreds of flights through Monday evening.
Texas Airport Delays Intensify
Dallas Love Field travelers face the longest waits, with delays reaching one hour and 14 minutes. The ground delay there began at 3:33pm and is scheduled to continue until 11pm. At Austin-Bergstrom International, delays have ballooned to one hour after a brief ground stop earlier Monday.
Dallas Fort Worth International, one of America’s busiest airports serving approximately 1,800 daily flights, began its ground delay at 6pm, expected to last until at least 10pm.
National Impact of Staffing Crisis
The government shutdown, now in its 34th day, has left more than 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers working without pay. Staffing shortages have been escalating since the shutdown began on October 1.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick Daniels expressed serious safety concerns: “America’s air traffic controllers are now having to focus on how they put gas in the car, how do they take care of their children, how do they pay for child care. Every day that this shutdown drags on, the system becomes less safe.”
Wider Airport Disruptions
The FAA has warned that additional ground stops may be issued at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Dulles International Airport in Virginia. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, the world’s busiest airport, has also reported lingering delays due to staffing shortages.
This follows Friday’s massive disruptions when over 6,200 flights into or out of the US were delayed and 493 flights were cancelled, with most problems centered in the New York area.
Major airlines including Delta and United have called on Democrats to end the government shutdown by passing a clean continuing resolution in the US Senate, which would provide temporary funding for government workers.
