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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6632415/ALL-flights-LaGuardia-Airport-halted-air-traffic-control-staff-shortage.htmlChaos after FAA orders temporary ground stop on flights at LaGuardia Airport and delays from Newark AND Philadelphia because of air traffic control staff shortage caused by government shutdown
- Flights in and out of LaGuardia have been halted due to the severe staff shortages
- It is causing a ripple effect at Philadelphia Itl and Newark where flights are delayed up to 1 hour and 15 mins
- By noon, 45 flights in and out of LaGuardia had been canceled and 450 were delayed
- The FAA insisted the effects of the ground stop would be minimal but already, 69 flights in and out of all three airports have been canceled
- The shutdown, the longest in history, is now in its 35th day and an increasing number of TSA workers are calling out sick to avoid having to work unpaid
- As the chaos escalated in New York, Trump said he would soon make an announcement about the status of the shutdown
- Some of those who do show up are then pulling second shifts as waiters or Uber drivers for money then returning to the airport without sleep
- President Trump has been briefed about the delays and is 'monitoring them'
By Jennifer Smith For Dailymail.com
Published: 10:08 EST, 25 January 2019 | Updated: 13:35 EST, 25 January 2019
Airport travel chaos swept the northeast coast on Friday after the FAA ordered a brief ground stop on flights bound for LaGuardia Airport and delaying planes at Newark and Philadelphia due to air traffic control staff shortages caused by the government shutdown.
In a quick-fire series of alerts shortly after 10am on Friday, the FAA advised that it had implemented a 'traffic management program' at LaGuardia, one of New York's major hub airports.
By 12.30pm, 18 flights that were due to leave LaGuardia had been canceled and 27 that were destined for it had been canceled.
It caused a ripple effect on Philadelphia International Airport, where four inbound flights have been canceled and three outbound flights have also been scrapped, and at Newark which has already canceled 11 inbound flights and 27 outbound flights.
Between the three airports, 90 inbound and outbound flights have been canceled and hundreds more are delayed.
Within a few hours of the chaos at the airports, there were talks that a deal had been reached between Trump and Congress.
No announcement as to whether or not the shutdown is over or close to over has yet been announced.
He was slammed by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi who said this morning's delays are 'pushing our airspace to the breaking point.'
Both the Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo and the city's mayor tweeted angrily about the shutdown and the effect it was having on the city.
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Grounded flights at LaGuardia Airport on Friday during the brief stop which was caused by a shortage in air control staff
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A flight aware map shows the heavy air traffic surrounding Philadelphia, Newark and LaGuardia on Friday as the FAA halted and delayed flights due to air traffic control shortages
LaGuardia issued this tweet at 10.11am warning passengers to confirm their flights with their airlines
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'This is horrendous. Donald Trump must give up his racist wall and Republicans in Congress must vote NOW to end this shutdown.
'The human cost is only going to increase and more and more Americans are going to suffer,' Bill de Blasio said.
DELAYS AND CANCELATIONS
LaGuardia
Departures: 18 canceled, 218 delayed
Arrivals: 27 canceled, 232 delays
Newark
Departures: 11 canceled, 94 delayed
Arrivals: 27 canceled, 105 delayedView comments
Philadelphia
Departures: 4 canceled, 38 delayed
Arrivals: 3 canceled, 31 delayed
Cuomo fumed: 'The #TrumpShutdown is now wreaking havoc at our nation's airports, including LaGuardia. We must stop this madness.'
Now in its 35th day, the government shutdown has tortured the nation's airports and posed security fears with more and more TSA and air traffic controllers calling out sick to avoid having to work without pay.
The ground stop at LaGuardia has now been lifted but there are delays of up to 90 minutes expected.
There have been worrying reports that those who are still showing up for work are then pulling second shifts as Uber drivers and waiters to make ends meet then returning to the airport, exhausted, day after day.
No one is in the FAA's public affairs office to answer questions about the chaos because of the shutdown but the agency released this statement which minimized the effect it would have: 'We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities.
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The departures board at LaGuardia on Friday showed multiple delays of more than an hour after the ground stop had been lifted
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Planes waiting on the tarmac as the delays carried on throughout the morning and early afternoon
'We've mitigated the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed.
'The results have been minimal impacts to efficiency while maintaining consistent levels of safety in the national airspace system.'
In a tweet about an hour after the announcement was made, the airport told passengers to expect 'major delays.'
'Due to staffing shortages at FAA air traffic control centers along the East Coast, there are major delays at LGA. Confirm your flight with your airline,' it read.
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This was the initial announcement which spread panic on Friday morning
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In addition to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi tweeted her dismay about the incident and blamed the president for it
Shortly before the announcement, the airport promised 'normal' flight activity with delays of under 15 minutes.
Earlier this week, leaders of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Air Line Pilots Association and Association of Flight Attendants warned that if the deadlock does not end soon, flights could be cut back around the country.
Control tower staffing is at a 30-year low due to no-shows and the national flight grid was only holding up due to overtime work by controllers, some of whom are working 10-hour days and six-day workweeks.
Air traffic controllers, transportation security officers, safety inspectors and air marshals were not furloughed and have been working without pay.
Inside terminals in major airports, passenger inspection times are lengthening due to an increasing number of workers for the Transportation Safety Administration not showing up.
Many of the workers are facing financial difficulties and some are unable to pay for transport to go to work or for childcare, and thus choose to call in sick instead.
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