The US government has lifted its order to cut flights across the country. According to the Transportation Department, enough air traffic controllers are now showing up to work. That means flying will be safer again. During the shutdown of the federal government, which took place in October, the situation at airports became very bad because the staff of the air traffic controllers, who are supposed to make the situation safe, stopped coming to work.
Employees who have to work in the dark since they are designated as essential workers went on strike so that they do not have to suffer in silence for too long. Consequently, the delay of flights became a common situation in numerous airports, while the cancellation of flights also happened in some places; hence, the safe operation of flying was out of reach for passengers.
Air Traffic Control Was Done Without Pay
The Federal Aviation Administration advised the airlines on November 7 that they should limit the number of flights taking off from airports. This decision was made in order to maintain safety in the air when there are a few controllers left. The duration of the government shutdown was 43 days, and it was the longest shutdown in the history of the US. Many air traffic controllers said they had to get second jobs because they were not getting pay cheques. Controllers who did come to work said they felt tired and stressed out. The shutdown ended last week, and now staffing levels are getting back to normal.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the lifting of the emergency order. According to him, controllers have returned to their positions, and normal operations can be resumed. The government is now able to concentrate on recruiting more controllers and creating a superior air traffic control system. The moment could not have been better, as Thanksgiving is among the busiest travel times in the United States. In the US, over 6 million people are scheduled to fly during the Thanksgiving holiday. This is approximately 2 per cent higher than the previous year. AAA is a leading travel group that keeps an eye on these figures. They point out that Thanksgiving is the only busiest holiday for travel in the USA.
Airports Had Big Problems During Shut Down
This shortage of air traffic controllers caused huge problems, which were very visible to everyone. The airports struggled to keep the flights running on time. Sometimes they needed to resort to control towers miles away in order to help bring in planes. This was difficult and not the normal manner in which things were done. The situation was already worse-than-normal because there were not as many controllers even prior to the shutdown. The emergency order called for airlines to slash as much as 10 per cent of domestic flights in the US. In the first week of November, thousands of flights were cancelled. There were even more flights that were delayed and left late.
According to the FAA, in its press release, it appears that certain airlines may have disregarded the agency’s instruction to limit flights. The agency is looking into this matter and weighing the possibility of taking action in the form of penalties against those airlines that have not adhered to the regulation. Last Saturday and Sunday, there were only nine alerts about flights grounded, cancelled, or late because of staffing. That’s much better than the previous Saturday, November 8, when there were 81 alerts about flight problems. That was an all-time record number, according to the Transportation Department.
Things are Getting Back to Normal Now
After the shutdown comes to an end, the air traffic controllers will receive their back pay. In other words, during the shutdown, they will be given the money that they were supposed to get but did not. Sean Duffy also said that he won’t fire controllers for missing work anymore. Before, he had threatened to fire people who did not show up. Many controllers said this threat was unfair because they were not being paid. The whole situation showed how important air traffic controllers are in keeping flights safe and on time.
The government wants to hire more controllers so this problem does not happen again. They also want to improve the air traffic control system with new technology. For now, travellers can feel better knowing flights should run smoothly. Lifting the order came at a good time, with millions of Americans planning to fly for Thanksgiving. Families will be able to travel to see each other without as many delays or cancellations.
_________
Get more breaking news at Inspirepreneur Magazine, and stay connected for stories that affect your daily life.
