Ground stops were issued at three major airports on Saturday due to staffing shortages caused by the government shutdown, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey and Nashville International Airport in Tennessee all saw flights come to a standstill.
Ground stops hold aircraft at their departure points to prevent air traffic systems from becoming overwhelmed, and they usually only last up to 30 minutes, according to the National Business Aviation Association. However the Chicago stop lasted almost 90 minutes.
The ground stops come a day after more than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US.
Flight reductions also took place in 40 high-traffic airports across the country, including O’Hare International, which is the airport with the most routes in the US.
More than 1,300 flights have reportedly been cancelled as of 2pm today, according to the flight-tracking website Flightaware.com. In Chicago, 83 flights have been cancelled at O’Hare and more than 300 delayed.
American Airlines was most heavily impacted, with 292 of its 5,485 scheduled flights cancelled.
That represents 5.3 percent, and other major airlines clocked in cancellations ranging from two percent to more than four percent of their scheduled flights.
The ground stop was issued at 11.24am because flight delays were averaging 15 minutes and steadily rising. It lasted almost 90 minutes
The ground stop took place at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, which is the airport with the most routes in the US
Similar rates of cancellation are expected to occur tomorrow as well.
On Wednesday, the FAA announced its decision to reduce service at high-volume airports to maintain safety as furloughed air traffic controllers show signs of strain and being overworked.
The Trump administration has been ramping up pressure on Democrats to end the government shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday that cancellations could spike to 20 percent if the government isn’t reopened soon, as the record-long shutdown dragged into its 39th day Saturday.
The FAA’s Wednesday announcement to reduce service said: ‘With continued delays and unpredictable staffing shortages, which are driving fatigue, risk is further increasing, and the FAA is concerned with the system’s ability to maintain the current volume of operations.’
With less than 20 days left until Thanksgiving, which is one of the busiest travel periods in the US, flight delays and cancellations are hitting Americans particularly hard
The ground stop comes just one day after more than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the US
Newark logged 2,902 total delays, with the longest lasting 313 minutes and the average at 223 minutes, according to the FAA advisory.
Airlines will be required to issue full refunds for cancelled flights but will not have to cover secondary costs such as food and lodging unless the cancellation was due to a factor in their control, according to the Department of Transportation.
Last weekend had some of the worst staffing shortages among air traffic controllers since the start of the shutdown.
Between Friday and Sunday evenings, 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential understaffing, according to an AP analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center.
And with fewer than 20 days until Thanksgiving, which is one of the busiest travel periods in the US, the shutdown is hitting Americans hard.
Yesterday, the US Travel X account posted a tweet that said: ‘Fewer flights. More delays. Americans just want to make it home for Thanksgiving, but Congress had other plans. Thanks, Congress.’
The previous record-long shutdown that lasted 35 days during Trump’s first term ended in large part thanks to pressures caused by overworked air traffic controllers and flight delays impacting everyday Americans.
