Delays At NorCal Airports Blamed On Gov't Shutdown

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA — The partial government shutdown, now in its 35th day, is having an impact on air travel. A ground stop was ordered at La Guardia Airport in New York because of a shortage of air traffic controllers, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The ground stop has been lifted, but the ripple effects are being felt here in Northern California.

The FAA is reporting flight delays at all three international airports in the Bay Area — San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose — and has issued this advisory "departure traffic destined to La Guardia Airport, New York, NY (LGA) is currently experiencing delays averaging 1 hour and 26 minutes." In Sacramento, delays of one hour for flights to Newark are reported in addition to the LaGuardia delays.

"We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two air traffic control facilities affecting New York and Florida," the FAA said in a statement. "As with severe storms, we will adjust operations to a safe rate to match available controller resources. We've mitigated the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft as needed."

The FAA’s stop on flights into LaGuardia came two days after aviation workers released a statement warning the shutdown poses serious risks to both its members and travelers. “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,” the statement released Wednesday read.

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Airlines are pressuring President Trump and Congress to reopen the government.

“We’re working closely with FAA and airport officials to try to minimize the impact on our operations and, most importantly, on our customers,” United Airlines said in a statement Friday. “At this point, we don’t anticipate significant schedule disruptions, but it is another good illustration of the escalating impact of the government shutdown and the need for the federal government to promptly re-open.”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump is closely monitoring the situation.

"The president has been briefed and we are monitoring the ongoing delays at some airports," Sanders said. "We are in regular contact with officials at the Department of Transportation and the FAA."

Earlier this week, San Jose stepped up to help airport workers. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved a plan Thursday to offer furloughed federal employees at Mineta San Jose Airport short-term loans during the government shutdown.

Technology Credit Union, founded in Santa Clara County in the 1960s, will administer the loans with $10 million from the city's General Fund.

The loans will go toward about 500 air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration employees, Customs and Border Protection officers and other federal employees who work at the airport. The maximum amount will be equal to one month's take-home pay.

"This isn't a handout -- it's a loan. It's going to be repaid as soon as they get back on track," Councilmember Magdalena Carrasco said during Thursday's special meeting, responding to critics of the program.

The loans will begin accruing a 12 percent interest rate after 14 days of receiving a backpay check as an incentive for repayment, according to the city. There will be no credit checks.

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This week, the airport hosted Second Harvest Food Bank to donate fresh produce and supplies to workers affected by the shutdown.

Absences among workers at the airport jumped from about 3 percent to 14 percent during the shutdown, which began on Dec. 22 in the peak of travel season, but airport officials said they have almost returned to normal levels because of community support and the city's proposed initiatives.

City Manager David Sykes said the short-term loan program is directed toward airport workers due to their role in a critical city service, but will leave the door open for other federal workers if the shutdown demands.

The federal government shutdown is the longest in U.S. history. President Donald Trump began the shutdown with demands to fund a wall on the country's southern border, which would cost more than $5 billion.

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— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story; Image via Shutterstock