The US air travel scene was already churning a nightmare for many flyers as the Department of Homeland Security’s funding shutdown continues to impact TSA employees over missed paychecks. However, the situation took an ever worse turn this week as passengers were forced to endure weather-related last-minute cancellations and delays.
The outcome? More than 12,500 US flights across the country were impacted on Monday (US time) as major storm threats encompassed the eastern half of the country.
More than 12,000 US flights cancelled or delayed
According to the flight-tracking site FlightAware, over 8,500 US flights had been delayed and 4,000 cancelled as of 4 pm ET. Since then, international reports have even carried forward the word of affect of travellers, some of who claimed they were forced to sleep on the airport floor due to last-minute cancellations.
Air travel at some of the largest US airports, including those in New York, Chicago and Atlanta, was hampered on Monday. Offering a fresher update on the scene, the Associated Press cited FlightAware’s more recent data to indicate that more than 4,400 flight scheduled to fly into, out of or within the US on Monday were cancelled, and about 10,400 other flights were delated. The flight-tracking site also noted that nearly 290 flights scheduled in the country for Tuesday have been cancelled so far.
Passengers forced to sleep on airport floor
Kelly Price, a traveller wanting to go home to Colorado after a family vacation in Florida, said her flight scheduled for Sunday night was cancelled the last minute early Monday. According to the AP, she was ultimately left with no choice but to wait all that while. And so, she was forced to sleep on the airport floor in the meantime. “By that time the only place for us to sleep was the airport floor. So we’re all tired and frustrated.”
How many US airports have been impacted
The Federal Aviation Administration issued ground stops at major hubs like Hartsfield-Jackson and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, in addition to ground delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport on Monday due to severe weather.
The US-wide cancellation included 570 flights in and out of Chicago’s O’Hare International, over 430 at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International and more than 270 at JFK, as per FlightAware.
The cancellations prompted by storm warnings come at a time when hundreds of TSA agents have reportedly quit their jobs since the partial government shutdown started on February 14. According to a CBS News report citing the agency’s internal data, more than 300 TSA agents have quit between the February 14-March 9 time period over budget issues.
This only prompted chaotic scenes at US airports. DHS and multiple US airports have since relied on social media posts to complain about the shutdown holding up TSA employees’ paychecks and triggering countless unscheduled absences. Amid the severe staff shortage crisis, passengers have consistently spoken out about missed flights and hours-long wait times at the airport.
Just this week, the official page of Austin-Bergstrom International Airport wrote on X, “We are seeing very long lines for TSA screening and airline bag check. We encourage you to get here 2.5 hours before your domestic flight, 3 for international.”
Despite the already shocking circumstances surrounding air travel in Untied States, TSA union leaders in Atlanta warned that security wait times could worsen at airports. Aaron Barker, a local leader with the American Federation of Government Employees, said during a Monday news conference, many TSA officers “are coping with eviction notices, vehicle repossessions, empty refrigerators and overdrawn bank accounts.”