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Passengers throughout America are preparing for growing delays as workforce gaps at airports continue to worsen during the ongoing government closure, now reaching its seventh day.

Growing Concerns Over Aviation System

Labor leaders for flight controllers and TSA agents have cautioned that the situation is likely to deteriorate, with workforce issues reported at multiple major airports including locations such as Nashville, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia.

"The potential of wider impacts to the US aviation system is growing by the day," commented travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.

He voiced serious worry that if the shutdown continues, it could possibly interfere with millions of Americans' Thanksgiving travel plans in November.

Travel Disruptions and Operational Issues

Workforce gaps, featuring an increased rate of employees calling in sick, affected major airports around Denver, Los Angeles and New York on Monday, causing delays for over 6,000 flights nationwide.

• Burbank airport's flight control was briefly shut down and responsibilities were managed by a different location
• The Nashville facility reported delays of approximately two hours due to staffing issues
• Chicago's O'Hare showed typical postponements of 41 minutes
• The DFW airport experienced delays logged at 30 minutes

Industry Response and Union Position

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association stressed that it does not support any coordinated activities that could adversely impact the National Airspace System.

The union clarified that air traffic controllers value their duty to ensure passenger security extremely earnestly and engaging in any work stoppage could lead to termination of employment.

Government Perspective

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy alerted that the country's air traffic control system is being harmed from the ongoing government shutdown.

"They're not just thinking about the airspace," he remarked regarding flight controllers who are not receiving salaries. "They're thinking about, 'Am I going to get a paycheck'?"

The official observed that many controllers depend on regular income and cannot afford extended periods without compensation.

Wider Consequences

According to emergency preparations, roughly a quarter of the employees, or over eleven thousand aviation administration workers, were temporarily laid off when the closure started last week.

However, 13,000 air traffic controllers continue working, with hiring and training also ongoing.

Union president Nick Daniels indicated that the closure has emphasized preexisting issues encountered by flight controllers, including workforce gaps and outdated equipment.

He clarified that the situation is particularly grave at regional facilities where reduced personnel creates additional challenges.

Regardless of the widespread delays, flight data showed that approximately ninety-two percent of flights departing from US airports took off on time as of Tuesday afternoon.

The aviation regulator had not issued a "workforce threshold" that would decrease the number of flights in and out of airports, suggesting that activities were proceeding despite the difficulties.