Previous shutdowns have resulted in a spike in TSA officers and air traffic controllers calling out sick from work, contributing to delays and flight cancellations.
Despite such inconveniences, aviation experts are confident that air travel remains safe.
Flight delays due FAA staffing issues are rising because the agency is taking steps to ensure air travel remains as safe as before the shutdown, said Katy Nastro, an air travel expert at trip booking site Going.com.
Still, Laura Einsetler, a captain for a U.S. airline, worries that a prolonged government shutdown could eventually affect the performance of air traffic controllers as they work without pay.
“It is safe to fly, but ATC staffing shortages strain the system and cause flights to be spaced out, slowing down everything.
some airports’ lack of air traffic controllers during the U.S. A. Travelers may be wondering if they have any concerns as they board their flight due to the government shutdown.
In certain U.S. locations, there are flight delays. S. . have barely increased since October, when federal funding expired. 1. Transportation Security Administration officers, controllers, and other air safety workers must work unpaid. TSA agents and air traffic controllers have called in sick more frequently as a result of previous shutdowns, which has led to delays and flight cancellations.
Despite these annoyances, aviation professionals are certain that flying is still safe. No slacking is tolerated. FAA safety regulations don’t stop because the government is closed,” Henry Harteveldt, president and founder of the travel advisory company Atmosphere Research Group, told CBS News.
“As the FAA takes steps to ensure air travel remains as safe as before the shutdown, flight delays due to FAA staffing issues are increasing,” said Katy Nastro, an air travel expert at the travel booking website Going . com.
“The calming of traffic and the implementation of ground delays as an additional safety precaution should reassure people,” she said. “It shouldn’t cause any concern at all. “..”.
“What is your tolerance in terms of facing delays and such?” is the more important question for travelers, Nastro continued.
Despite a number of plane crashes and near-misses this year, studies indicate that flying has gotten safer recently. A 2024 MIT study found that from 2018 to 2022, there was a 1 in 13 0.7 million chance of dying while traveling by commercial aircraft worldwide. This is equivalent to one death for every 79 million boardings globally between 2008 and 2017.
We reduce its speed.
Monday—U. S. . Sean Duffy, the secretary of transportation, spoke on Fox Business News about possible safety issues during the shutdown. “We want to make sure that you travel safely, so we slow it down if we don’t have controllers necessary to keep you safe,” he said to the network.
He also mentioned the staffing shortage in air traffic control and the broader effects of a small number of absentee employees. “If a few controllers call in sick, it will ricochet through the airspace, and we have delays because we are not overstaffed,” he said, adding that the shutdown has left controllers “incredibly frustrated.”.
Flight delays caused by controller shortages are inconvenient, but they do not indicate a safety risk to passengers, according to Sheldon Jacobson, an aviation security specialist and computer science professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Jacobson told CBS News, “Service is definitely being compromised, but I don’t think safety is being compromised.”.
According to Laura Einsetler, a U.S. S. airline, is concerned that a protracted government shutdown may eventually impact air traffic controllers’ performance because they are unpaid.
She asked CBS News, “How long can they go before they are preoccupied with worries about how they’re going to put food on the table for their families or pay their rent or mortgage?”. More distractions result from their lack of compensation, which increases the risk to their safety from a performance perspective. “,”.
Pilots should be trusted.
Some people are understandably anxious about flying during the government shutdown, according to Scott Keyes, founder of Going . com. He said, “Any explanation we can find for why flying might be riskier now is understandable, as many of us have an innate fear of being 30,000 feet above the ground.”.
He did stress, however, that pilots have the last word on whether flying is unsafe for any reason, including bad weather, mechanical issues, or a lack of personnel.
According to Keyes, “they are in constant communication with air traffic control, monitoring weather systems, and what the entire flying environment looks like,” and they are trusted to provide the final line of authority and declare that it is safe to continue flying.
“There is a greater chance of delays and cancellations now than there was previously, but I don’t believe that translates into a higher risk of safety accidents,” he continued.
Given the safety concerns, Harteveldt concurred that airline pilots, who are not federal employees, would not take off.
“The airline pilot says, ‘Yes, this plane is clear to go,’ after inspecting the aircraft as it leaves the gate. “That has nothing to do with the shutdown or FAA inspectors,” he stated.
While admitting that delays may result from a lack of control tower personnel, Airlines for America, a lobbying group that represents major airlines, attempted to reassure the public last week that flying during the shutdown is safe.
“ATC staffing shortages put a strain on the system, causing flights to be spaced out, slowing everything down, but it is safe to fly.”. Flight delays or cancellations are possible in certain situations,” the group stated in a statement. “The main message is to bring patience if you’re going to the airport right now. “.”.
