10 08 25 ABC's Clara McMichael on air traffic controller shortage airport delays

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Colorado's Morning News prepare for more possible flight delays and
cancelations as the government shutdown continues.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
That's because more air traffic controllers who are working without
pay during the shutdown have been calling in sick, greatly
impacting some airport facilities. And joining us now on the
KWA Common Spirit Health hotline is ABC News Transportation Reporter.
It's Claire McMichael. Clara, appreciate your time this morning. Let's
talk a little bit about specifics of what airports are
struggling why some seem to be struggling with staffing more

(00:28):
than others.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
Right, Good morning, So we're now over a week into
the shutdown and we are seeing it start to impact
flights because, as you said, those controllers are calling out sick. So,
as we know, staffing has been a big issue with
air traffic controllers for years, and the margins are so
thin that even when you have over ten thousand controllers
working during the shutdown, if you even have just a

(00:50):
few calling out, that could have major impacts. So we
saw this start on Monday when Burbank Hollywood Airport had
no air traffic controllers and flights were delayed two and
a half hours. And then yesterday we saw thousands more
delays and staffing issues at multiple air traffic control facilities
across the country and including some here in Denver. So
experts say that the longer the shutdown goes, the worst

(01:13):
these issues could become.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
Clara, I've heard I forget who it was, maybe it
was Sean Duffy, the Transportation Secretary, but to some degree
saying we may have to throttle down the amount of
flights we have until we get through this. Is that
the same reporting you're hearing as.

Speaker 3 (01:25):
Well, right, that's exactly what they're going to do. So
when there aren't enough controllers for a certain area, that's
when they reduce the number of flights or they space
out flights, and that's to ensure that the airspace remains safe.
So you might be inconvenience with a delay or maybe
even a cancelation. It's still safer to drive than the
air form. But that's how that's going to materialize.

Speaker 2 (01:47):
And when we talk about this, this is people that
are mainly behind the scenes. Correct Because I literally flew
over the weekend. It seems pretty flawless and seamless when
we are going through TSA. But it's the air traffic
controllers that are the ones that are the big issue here.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
That's right now. During the last shutdown of twenty eighteen
twenty nineteen, we did see those TSA agents start to
call out sick as well. We haven't seen that this
shutdown yet. It is those controllers who are the ones
calling out sick. And you know, they work extremely stressful
job six days a week, ten hours a day in
some cases, and they're in charge of aviation safety. So

(02:21):
when you add in that they're not getting paid, it
gets to a breaking point. In the last shutdown, we
saw some driver for uber to try to make ends meet.
So yeah, add in that childcare, food, medical expenses, and
that's when you see things like this they start to
call out sick.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
Clara, then let's take this to the next level. I
don't know if you have any reporting, but the fact
that the President said that maybe some of these workers
would not get their back pay. He hasn't said when
industries are spaces necessarily, but I can't imagine that's a
great incentive for air traffic controls to say if I'm
going to work these hours but not get paid for
him in the process. One more reason just to call
out sick or bail totally.

Speaker 3 (02:58):
Right, and our political teams have been reporting that part out.
But whether or not these controllers and TSA agents get
back pay, that could entirely change the equation. You know,
with the prospect of not getting paid. On the other end,
some of these folks would be extremely strapped for cash,
and no doubt that would impact their decision making about
if they want to come to work or if they

(03:18):
want to call out sick and maybe find another way
to earn some cash.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
Wrapping up with you, is it likely that these air
traffic controllers really have the megaphone in this situation. They
could be signing off and the sounding off and saying okay,
this needs to change, and that could lead to maybe
a deal in some way.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Well, that's certainly what we saw last time, but the
difference is lash it down. It happened over a month
in this time is coming around a lot sooner over
a weekend. So we're definitely going to be keeping an
eye on if this impacts, you know, what politicians are thinking,
and if it could lead to a possible deal.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
ABC News Transportation reporter Claire McMichael, Thank you,