ORLANDO, Fla. — Delays, cancelations and long lines have plagued airports as the federal government shutdown continues.
While passengers and employees may be hoping for a quick rebound once the government reopens, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it’s not clear how quickly things will return to normal at the country’s airports.
What You Need To Know
As a potential end to the federal government shutdown looms, some worry about the lasting impacts it may have on TSA personnel and air traffic controllers
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warns that it could take time before things return to normal
Starting Thursday, airlines at high-impact airports like Orlando International will be forced to reduce their number of flights by 8% and then by 10% on Friday
Duffy said he will rely on data to decide when the Federal Aviation Administration can lift shutdown-related flight restrictions that were imposed on dozens of airports across the nation due to the shutdown.
According to FlightAware, there were a total of 35 inbound and outbound flight cancellations at the Orlando International Airport Wednesday morning.
Beginning Thursday, airlines at high-impact airports like Orlando International will be required to reduce their number of flights by 8%, and then increase that to 10% by Friday.
FAA officials say the cutbacks are part of an effort to keep air travel safe. They say call-outs have increased as federal aviation workers continue weeks of unpaid work.
Duffy said federal aviation workers will get 70% of their back pay within 48 hours of the government reopening, but said a return to normal may take longer than that.
“I’m concerned that we’re not going to have, on Day 1, controllers come back into the towers right away,” he said.
It’s not just air traffic controllers that are feeling the pinch.
It’s also TSA agents like Joseph Groover, who said he’s struggling to make ends meet.
“Probably eating once a day, being very frugal with a lot of things when it comes to gas, food, things like that,” he said.
In the meantime, Orlando International has extended a donation drive to collect all sorts of items — including things like food, diapers and any other essentials — that could help federal employees during the shutdown.
According to information from MCO, donations can be dropped off daily at the information booths on the departure levels of Terminals A, B and C from 6 a.m. to midnight. Donations are also being accepted at the Orlando Executive Airport, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.