415
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/news@lemmy.world

Transportation secretary says figure is ‘one of the highest we’ve seen’ since 1 October as shutdown drags on

US airports have reported more than 20 incidents of air traffic controller shortages on Saturday, said Sean Duffy, transportation secretary, in the latest sign of the government shutdown’s impact.

Through the shutdown of the federal government, around 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers must work without pay during the shutdown.

The FAA is around 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, which had many to work mandatory overtime and six-day weeks before the shutdown began.

all 31 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[-] Ironfist79@lemmy.world 8 points 1 day ago

People are going to die...

[-] can@sh.itjust.works 77 points 2 days ago

Air traffic controllers received a paycheck two weeks ago at around 90% of their regular pay, but Tuesday will mark their first fully unpaid pay period for work in October.

Duffy noted air traffic controllers have been taking on second jobs to try to supplement the lost income.

“They’re taking second jobs, they’re out there looking,” he said.

The FAA is around 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, which had many to work mandatory overtime and six-day weeks before the shutdown began.

This can't end well for anyone.

[-] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 49 points 2 days ago

Airport workers should strike. That'll settle the whole thing right quick. Bring us back to September 12 2001.

Ronald Reagan had something to say about that. I'd quote him but I don't want 10% tariffs added to all my comments.

[-] Fedizen@lemmy.world 10 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Ronald Reagon cracked down on air traffic controllers. If the whole airport goes on strike it will cancel flights. Or even if pilots and flight crews start a strike.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 days ago

Pilots should strike because it's simply unsafe.

Screw striking. Waste of time when the government will just call it an illegal strike.

When the bullshit outpaces the pay, walk away. Find another job.

[-] njm1314@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Governments have a habit of calling strikes illegal. You do them anyway because they work.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 points 2 days ago

i suspect alot of the ATC are stuck in the job, are likely unable to find a job equal to that pay. many of them arnt Young and are nearing retirement.

[-] athatet@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

I bet they can find somewhere paying them more than nothing tho.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

true, i heard international atc are sought after. probably australia or some eu country? its a niche enough specialty because of its shortage and competitive hiring, they need it elsewhere.

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 2 days ago

threaten to quit, which isnt a strike, or take leave of absense indefnitely.

[-] Fedizen@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Coud also fill out an FMLA to take care of a family member or something and take an excused leave.

[-] pennomi@lemmy.world 26 points 2 days ago

I hope it shocks the people awake. They’re too complacent right now.

[-] Cheems@lemmy.world 18 points 2 days ago

I'm not convinced the zombies will ever come back from the dead

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 4 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

from what im reading on reddit, most of the current ATC are nearing retirement, leftover from REAGAN administration when he replaced them all. its extremely hard to get an ATC job from what ive heard, you have mandatory retirement at 55, probably wont attract much people if you are going to retire that early. also entry into the job is very competitive too.

[-] ToastedRavioli@midwest.social 5 points 2 days ago

Entry into the job isnt that competitive considering they are down thousands of needed ATCs.

The difficulty getting into the job is that the education is extremely difficult, and a significant number of people fail ATC school. Which is how it should be, as we cant compromise on that point.

If someone is able to pass the education, however, they certainly have their pick of the litter on where they want to go from there

[-] frunch@lemmy.world 42 points 2 days ago

Won't a billionaire step in and pay them for the meantime? You know, like Timothy Mellon paid $130 million to keep the troops happy the other day (since the gov refuses to pass a budget without thoroughly fucking over the American public by doubling their healthcare costs)

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

130 million isnt even enough for the troops consider how much they cost a month, its like several billion in a month.

[-] SoloCritical@lemmy.world 15 points 2 days ago

That’s technically illegal, not that it matters anymore ig.

[-] frunch@lemmy.world 7 points 2 days ago

Legality really is a thing of the past, at least for those in power. There's no accountability for them, no checks to their authority...so they might as well be considered kings/dictators at this point

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 14 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

that 130mil isnt even covering that much for troops, only a small 100$ one time thing, while it cost hundreds of billions a month.

[-] Corkyskog@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 days ago

I wonder how long it would take to redistribute the wealth if the Billionaires funded the government.

[-] Halcyon@discuss.tchncs.de 4 points 2 days ago

They already paid for Trump's ballroom, so that has to be enough.

[-] frankiehollywood@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 day ago

20 does not seem like much…

[-] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 3 points 1 day ago

consider how competitive is to become an ATC, i think would have a huge effect. Also the shortage that has been there for decades hasnt gone away.

[-] FordBeeblebrox@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

Towers are staffed on a shoestring budget with wildly constrictive time off rules, and levels have never come back up to pre Reagan. Every missing controller makes a big ripple in a small pond

[-] Bluefalcon@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

"Hey should we pay them? No, let them eat cake?"

A few moments later....

"What do you mean you have vacation and sick leave?"

[-] WanderWisley@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Suddenly without warning the planes stop flying! 🫲🍊🫱

[-] marine_mustang@sh.itjust.works 8 points 2 days ago

Luckily, I chose to fly to Tijuana tomorrow and cross the border on foot rather than fly into San Diego.

this post was submitted on 26 Oct 2025
415 points (100.0% liked)

News

32949 readers
2683 users here now

Welcome to the News community!

Rules:

1. Be civil


Attack the argument, not the person. No racism/sexism/bigotry. Good faith argumentation only. This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban. Do not respond to rule-breaking content; report it and move on.


2. All posts should contain a source (url) that is as reliable and unbiased as possible and must only contain one link.


Obvious right or left wing sources will be removed at the mods discretion. Supporting links can be added in comments or posted seperately but not to the post body.


3. No bots, spam or self-promotion.


Only approved bots, which follow the guidelines for bots set by the instance, are allowed.


4. Post titles should be the same as the article used as source.


Posts which titles don’t match the source won’t be removed, but the autoMod will notify you, and if your title misrepresents the original article, the post will be deleted. If the site changed their headline, the bot might still contact you, just ignore it, we won’t delete your post.


5. Only recent news is allowed.


Posts must be news from the most recent 30 days.


6. All posts must be news articles.


No opinion pieces, Listicles, editorials or celebrity gossip is allowed. All posts will be judged on a case-by-case basis.


7. No duplicate posts.


If a source you used was already posted by someone else, the autoMod will leave a message. Please remove your post if the autoMod is correct. If the post that matches your post is very old, we refer you to rule 5.


8. Misinformation is prohibited.


Misinformation / propaganda is strictly prohibited. Any comment or post containing or linking to misinformation will be removed. If you feel that your post has been removed in error, credible sources must be provided.


9. No link shorteners.


The auto mod will contact you if a link shortener is detected, please delete your post if they are right.


10. Don't copy entire article in your post body


For copyright reasons, you are not allowed to copy an entire article into your post body. This is an instance wide rule, that is strictly enforced in this community.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS