Hartsfield-Jackson Sees Few Delays Despite Start of FAA Furloughs
There were few delays at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Monday despite the start of furloughs for Federal Aviation Administration employees.
The furloughs started Sunday due to federal across the board cuts known as the sequester. However, the furloughs have already begun affecting other airports.
When 70-year-old Paul Block arrived at the airport he was concerned about whether the furloughs would affect his trip to New York. But after checking in, he learned his flight was on time.
“At this moment in time everything looks real fine.
Still, Block wasn’t going to rest easy until leaving the runway.
“I’ll wonder what’s going to be what once I get on the airplane and we’re ready takeoff. Is it going to be a long wait to wait for x amount of airplanes in front of us, or will it be a quick takeoff?”
A spokesman with the National Air Traffic Controller Association says the true test will be on bad weather days. He also says delays in other cities could cause a ripple effect in Atlanta.
And that effect could already be starting. On Monday afternoon the FAA said it was experiencing staffing challenges due to the furloughs in several cities including New York, Jacksonville, Dallas and Los Angeles.
In a statement, the FAA says as a result air traffic controllers will “space planes farther apart so they can manage traffic with current staff, which will lead to delays at airports including New York’s La Guardia Airport. The FAA goes on to say it’s working with the airlines throughout the day to try and minimize delays for travelers. The FAA encourages travelers to check their flight status and also to visit fly.faa.gov for the latest airport delay information.
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