Flights to LAX were temporarily halted Sunday as the FAA cited a shortage of air traffic controllers linked to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration said flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted Sunday morning due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility.
The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed and canceled in the coming days as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown.
During an appearance on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job.
Air traffic controllers once did have a union, they went on strike, and then Reagan fired everyone. The union was decertified by the government and dissolved.
Might happen again at Thanksgiving.
That would be such a hilariously sad type of self harm. I don’t think the staffing has even fully recovered from the Reagan layoffs.
The FAA also never fully recovered and has been short-staffed since Reagan.
Which means they can’t ever do that again, which should have given the power back to the ATCs to simply ignore the law and strike anyway.
Even Trump can’t make new ATCs appear out of thin air.
Well that’s the thing, just like Reagan, he can use the military to temporarily replace them.
Military airfields have the same procedures
They still do have a union. It’s just illegal for them to strike.
Nah they still have the union, but it’s illegal for them to strike so it’s pretty toothless.
“Illegal”
That’s what they thought last time they striked. Reagan fired them all even knowing the chaos it would cause.
I doubt Donny could pull it off though.