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| Flight delays pile up across US as sequestration furloughs take effect | Flight delays pile up across US as sequestration furloughs take effect |
| (17 days later) | |
| Flight delays piled up all across America on Monday as thousands of air traffic controllers were forced to take an unpaid day off because of federal budget cuts, providing the most visible impact yet of Congress and the White House's failure to agree on a long-term deficit-reduction plan. | Flight delays piled up all across America on Monday as thousands of air traffic controllers were forced to take an unpaid day off because of federal budget cuts, providing the most visible impact yet of Congress and the White House's failure to agree on a long-term deficit-reduction plan. |
| The Federal Aviation Administration kept planes on the ground because there weren't enough controllers to monitor busy air corridors. Cascading delays at some of the busiest US airports held up many flights into New York, Baltimore and Washington by more than two hours. | The Federal Aviation Administration kept planes on the ground because there weren't enough controllers to monitor busy air corridors. Cascading delays at some of the busiest US airports held up many flights into New York, Baltimore and Washington by more than two hours. |
| In the morning, the delays were so bad that passengers on several Washington-New York shuttle flights could have reached their destination faster by taking the train. | In the morning, the delays were so bad that passengers on several Washington-New York shuttle flights could have reached their destination faster by taking the train. |
| Nearly a third of flights at New York's LaGuardia airport scheduled to take off before 3pm were delayed 15 minutes or more, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Last Monday, just 6% of LaGuardia's flights were delayed. | Nearly a third of flights at New York's LaGuardia airport scheduled to take off before 3pm were delayed 15 minutes or more, according to flight-tracking service FlightAware. Last Monday, just 6% of LaGuardia's flights were delayed. |
| The situation was similar at Washington's Reagan National airport, in Newark, New Jersey, and in Philadelphia with roughly 20% of flights delayed. | The situation was similar at Washington's Reagan National airport, in Newark, New Jersey, and in Philadelphia with roughly 20% of flights delayed. |
| Monday is typically one of the busiest days at airports with many high-paying business travelers departing for a week on the road. The FAA's controller cuts a 10% reduction of its staff went into effect Sunday. The full force was not felt until Monday morning. | Monday is typically one of the busiest days at airports with many high-paying business travelers departing for a week on the road. The FAA's controller cuts a 10% reduction of its staff went into effect Sunday. The full force was not felt until Monday morning. |
| The shortage of controllers could persist for months, raising the risk of a turbulent summer travel season. And it could exacerbate weather problems, especially spring and summer thunderstorms. | The shortage of controllers could persist for months, raising the risk of a turbulent summer travel season. And it could exacerbate weather problems, especially spring and summer thunderstorms. |
| There's no way for passengers to tell in advance which airport or flights will experience delays. | There's no way for passengers to tell in advance which airport or flights will experience delays. |
| Many flights heading to Florida were seeing delays of up to an hour. By late Monday, delays into Los Angeles were expected to average three hours. | Many flights heading to Florida were seeing delays of up to an hour. By late Monday, delays into Los Angeles were expected to average three hours. |
| FAA officials have said they have no choice but to furlough all 47,000 agency employees including nearly 15,000 controllers because the agency's budget is dominated by salaries. Each employee will lose one day of work every other week. The FAA has said that planes will have to take off and land less frequently, so as not to overload the remaining controllers on duty. | FAA officials have said they have no choice but to furlough all 47,000 agency employees including nearly 15,000 controllers because the agency's budget is dominated by salaries. Each employee will lose one day of work every other week. The FAA has said that planes will have to take off and land less frequently, so as not to overload the remaining controllers on duty. |
| Critics have said the FAA could reduce its budget in other spots that wouldn't delay travelers. | Critics have said the FAA could reduce its budget in other spots that wouldn't delay travelers. |
| "There's a lot finger-pointing going on, but the simple truth is that it is Congress's job to fix this," said Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat and member of the House aviation panel. "Flight delays are just the latest example of how the sequester is damaging the economy and hurting families across the country." | "There's a lot finger-pointing going on, but the simple truth is that it is Congress's job to fix this," said Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat and member of the House aviation panel. "Flight delays are just the latest example of how the sequester is damaging the economy and hurting families across the country." |
| Some travel groups have warned that the disruptions could hurt the economy. | Some travel groups have warned that the disruptions could hurt the economy. |
| "If these disruptions unfold as predicted, business travelers will stay home, severely impacting not only the travel industry but the economy overall," the Global Business Travel Association warned the head of the FAA, Michael P Huerta, in a letter Friday. | "If these disruptions unfold as predicted, business travelers will stay home, severely impacting not only the travel industry but the economy overall," the Global Business Travel Association warned the head of the FAA, Michael P Huerta, in a letter Friday. |
| Normally, there are 10 air traffic controllers at a regional facility handling arrivals for Los Angeles International Airport. On Sunday night, there were just seven, according to Mike Foote, a local union president with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. | Normally, there are 10 air traffic controllers at a regional facility handling arrivals for Los Angeles International Airport. On Sunday night, there were just seven, according to Mike Foote, a local union president with the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. |
| The country's airlines and some lawmakers have suggested the White House is causing misery for fliers to put pressure on Republicans in Congress to rescind the cuts. | The country's airlines and some lawmakers have suggested the White House is causing misery for fliers to put pressure on Republicans in Congress to rescind the cuts. |
| In a letter to the FAA Friday, Delta general counsel Ben Hirst asked the agency to reconsider the furloughs, saying it could make the cuts elsewhere and transfer funds from "non-safety activities" to support the FAA's "core mission of efficiently managing the nation's airspace". | In a letter to the FAA Friday, Delta general counsel Ben Hirst asked the agency to reconsider the furloughs, saying it could make the cuts elsewhere and transfer funds from "non-safety activities" to support the FAA's "core mission of efficiently managing the nation's airspace". |
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