Flight disruptions continue as air traffic controllers brace for their first full missing paychecks

A shortage of air traffic controllers caused more flight disruptions Monday at airports around the country, including briefly at Los Angeles International Airport, where staffing problems a day earlier had led to flights being halted for a short time.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing-related delays on Monday afternoon averaging about 20 minutes at the airport in Dallas, while the airport in Austin, Texas, was seeing delays averaging about 40 minutes after the FAA issued a temporary ground stop for about an hour there before it was lifted at around 4:15 p.m. local time.

Earlier Monday, flights were also briefly delayed on average for about 25 minutes at LAX. On Sunday, the FAA had issued a ground stop at LAX for about two hours, meaning planes headed for Los Angeles were held at their originating airports until it was lifted. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said about 72% of the flights scheduled Sunday at LAX took off within 15 minutes of their scheduled departure times.

The disruptions come as the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 nears the one-month mark.

Just last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had predicted that travelers would start to see more flights delayed and canceled as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the shutdown.

During a weekend appearance on the Fox News program “Sunday Morning Futures,” Duffy said more controllers were calling in sick as money worries compound the stress of an already challenging job.

“And that’s a sign that the controllers are wearing thin,” Duffy said.

Most controllers are continuing to work mandatory overtime six days a week during the shutdown without pay, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association said Monday as their members braced for their first full missing paycheck on Tuesday. That leaves little time for a side job unless controllers call in sick to the FAA.

Union members were expected to gather Tuesday at major airports across the U.S., including in New York City and Atlanta, to pass out leaflets to passengers that detail how the shutdown is negatively impacting the national aviation system and the workers who keep it running safely.