Federal Aviation Administration officials have announced that ground delays at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport will continue due to staffing shortages amid the ongoing government shutdown. The situation is a result of reduced staffing, forcing airlines to adopt more spread out schedules for incoming and outgoing flights.
The root cause of this issue lies with airport workers who may not be able to afford childcare, prompting some federal airport employees to call in sick. Others are opting for second jobs to supplement their dwindling paychecks.
Air traffic controllers will only allow flights into the airports when it is deemed safe to do so. This results in ground stops that can last anywhere from minutes to several hours.
The situation comes as holiday air travel draws near, prompting lawmakers to push for a "clean continued resolution." This would fund government operations without implementing any policy changes, with airlines like United, American, Southwest, and Delta all backing the proposal.
The root cause of this issue lies with airport workers who may not be able to afford childcare, prompting some federal airport employees to call in sick. Others are opting for second jobs to supplement their dwindling paychecks.
Air traffic controllers will only allow flights into the airports when it is deemed safe to do so. This results in ground stops that can last anywhere from minutes to several hours.
The situation comes as holiday air travel draws near, prompting lawmakers to push for a "clean continued resolution." This would fund government operations without implementing any policy changes, with airlines like United, American, Southwest, and Delta all backing the proposal.