- Airlines Reduce Their Number of Flights and End Service to Certain Destinations
- FAA Hiring and Training Were Affected by the Pandemic
Is there a staff shortage in the air traffic control department?
FAA said in a statement emailed to USA TODAY: “While there have been staffing issues for a few hours at a few facilities due to COVID-19 and other factors, there is not a system-wide air traffic controller staffing shortage. We are not seeing greater-than-expected attrition but COVID temporarily delayed some training.”
What is causing flight delays and cancellations this summer?
Airlines claim that the FAA’s staffing levels are an issue this summer, but many other industry experts believe it’s the airlines’ staffing that is the bigger concern.
Courtney Miller, the founder of Visual Approach Analytics, an aviation data analysis firm, previously told USA TODAY: “The lack of pilots is the bottleneck. That’s the first limitation we’re hitting right now.”
Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration are blaming each other for the delays and cancellations that have affected air travelers throughout the summer.