Travelers at Newark airport feeling the effects of the government shutdown
Some travelers at Newark Liberty International Airport aired their frustrations on Friday as flights were delayed due to staffing issues with air traffic controllers as the the longest government shutdown in U.S. history continued.
The delays were caused by "a slight increase in sick leave" by air traffic controllers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Some passengers waiting to take off in the morning tweeted their frustration. Louis Di Paolo, a former councilman, was stuck on a JetBlue flight waiting to take of from Newark. He tweeted the plane had been waiting on the tarmac for close to two hours.
Other travelers chimed in as well with one describing long lines at security and others complaining of having their flights wait on the tarmac.
"We are mitigating the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed," according to a Tweet by the FAA.
More: FAA: Flights delayed at 3 major airports due to 'staffing' issues amid government shutdown
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, a potential Democratic candidate for president, tweeted of the flight delays: "People's lives and livelihoods are being put at risk. The shutdown must end — now."
But by 11:30 a.m., Terminal C at Newark was relatively quiet and there were few people waiting to go through security to check in for flights. The departure board was listing few delays. Planes were taking off and there didn't appear to be long lines of planes waiting on the tarmac.
The arrivals board showed some afternoon flights with later arrival times than originally scheduled and a few had "Air traffic control" posted under the "Remarks" column.
By noon, some delays were being caused by high winds, according to an official at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the region's three major airports.
The delays and staffing shortages come a day after Congress failed to pass legislation to fund the government and end the shutdown, which has lasted 35 days.
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since Dec. 22. They have received paychecks during that time, but each check read $0.00, said Bill Striffler, the union’s representative at Newark airport.
“We have a growing concern for the safety and security of our members, our airlines and the traveling public due to the government shutdown,” according to a statement by the union. “In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break.”
Staff writers Scott Fallon, Matt Fagan, Svetlana Shkolnikova and Tariq Zehawi contributed to this article.
Email: maag@northjersey.com