TAMPA, Fla — Pilots who frequent Tampa International Airport and have been working throughout the government shutdown say while convenience has been compromised for travelers, safety has not.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised air traffic reductions to 6% on Tuesday at the nation’s 40 busiest airports and that number could climb to 10% by Friday.

What You Need To Know

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TRACK DELAYS: Tampa International Airport

Commercial airline pilot Angel Andres says some of the delays are attributed to less routes being available in the skies, given the limited number of air traffic controllers.

“Air traffic control lanes – or sectors as they call them – are being shut down,” he said. “Now there’s bottle necks. I no longer have a nice clean line, which means I’m going to be in the air longer.”

Andres also said planes are spending more time on the tarmac. He said while it’s not fun for passengers, it’s important to close the plane doors and get in line until air traffic controllers say it’s their turn. In that situation, crews can risk timing out causing an even larger delay.

“Safety is definitely not compromised but convenience is taking a hit,” he said.

Commercial Airline Pilot Jim Shilling said in his 42 years of flying, he’s seen situations like this arise before. He insists flying is just as safe, it’s just not as predictable during the government shutdown.

 

“Whether we have staffing issues with controllers or not, we’re going to do the same thing,” Shilling said. “I’m going to manage the risk and I’m gonna look at it. If the risk isn’t good, we don’t do it. I value it as being safe, I do it. That’s regardless of where we are with ATC.”

 

Once the government shutdown ends, it’s not clear how quickly air travel will go back to normal. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said air traffic controllers will get 70% of their backpay within 48 hours of the government reopening.

Duffy says he’s not certain when the staffing issues will disappear but is confident air travel will be smoother going into Thanksgiving week.

“I’m going to tell you we are not going to get to Thanksgiving,” Duffy said Tuesday. “You’re going to see this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Big disruption thus far, massively more disruption as we come into the weekend if the government doesn’t open.”

The decision on when shutdown-related flight restrictions lesson will rely on data, Duffy said.