Neither the FAA nor the air-traffic controllers union blamed the shutdown for the delays at LaGuardia. But the increasingly tense political situation meant that others were quick to see a link.
“Do we have your attention now, Leader McConnell?” Association of Flight Attendants - CWA President Sara Nelson said in a statement, referring to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “This shutdown must end immediately.”
The Air Line Pilots Association said the LaGuardia ground stop “illustrates the serious negative effects the government shutdown is having on the aviation system.”
The New York delays provide “another good illustration of the escalating impact of the government shutdown and the need for the federal government to promptly re-open,” United Continental Holdings Inc. said. Delta Air Lines Inc. alone reported 200 flight delays at LaGuardia and other Northeast airports because of the ground stop. American Airlines Group Inc. said it hadn’t seen “significant impacts.”
Air-traffic control snarls “are typical in congested airports, but this reason is new and is a direct result of the government shutdown,” Helane Becker, a Cowen & Co. analyst, said in a note Friday. “Near-term results could be impacted if the shutdown lingers on, but long term this issue should be a speed bump for the airlines.”
Political Standoff
The situation at LaGuardia comes as Congress and the president have failed thus far to come up with an agreement to reopen the government. After the Senate rejected two proposals on Thursday, new talks began among McConnell, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the White House.
“McConnell and I had a good conversation,” Schumer told reporters Friday morning. “We’re trying to get everyone involved to work something out.”
In addition to the FAA’s Washington Center in Leesburg, Virginia, a second high-altitude control center in Jacksonville, Florida, also had a higher-than-expected absentee rate due to illness, according to the agency.
Atlanta Delays