How To Check If Your Flight Was Delayed Amid FAA’s Ground Stops Due To Government Shutdown
Those looking to check if their flight is delayed amid the FAA’s widespread ground stops will have a few options at their fingertips, even if their flight isn’t going to be in the air.
On Friday, major airports across the country issued delays due to widespread staffing issues brought on by the record government shutdown. As WMTW reported, New York’s busy LaGuardia Airport had a delay of roughly one hour and others including the Philadelphia International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport had delays as well. Instructions on how to check if your flight is delayed can be found below.
The delays came at the order of the Federal Aviation Administration as air traffic controllers have called in sick due to the ongoing government shutdown, creating shortages at airports.
“We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two air traffic control facilities affecting New York and Florida,” the FAA said in a statement to CNN. “As with severe storms, we will adjust operations to a safe rate to match available controller resources.”
The FAA had issued warnings that travel could be affected as the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers are forced to work for weeks without pay. The shutdown has lasted six weeks, making it the longest in American history, and shows little indication that it could end soon. President Donald Trump has not backed down from his demand for more than $5 billion in border wall funding and Democrats in Congress have rejected these demands.
JUST IN: The FAA has halted flights into New York's LaGuardia Airport due to an air traffic control staff shortage pic.twitter.com/OlA5krigu0
— Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) January 25, 2019
The White House said that Donald Trump is monitoring the current situation and has been in contact with the FAA. There is still no indication if Trump has softened in his stance and is ready to bring an end to the government shutdown, which started when he vetoed a bipartisan funding measure that would have temporarily kept the government open.
Members of Congress this week considered a measure that would have re-opened the government as the debate over border wall funding goes on, but it failed, as well as another proposal that would have authorized the funding for the border wall.
As the shutdown continues, experts say there could be more widespread flight delays and eventually, cancellations if the air traffic controller shortage grows too dire.
Travelers who want to check if their own flight has been delayed can search by region or by airport on the FAA‘s Flight Delay Information website. The website Flight View also allows travelers to check their individual flight to see if it is departing on time.
