Chicago:
Travelers can expect a wide range of delays on US flights as a result of mandatory US budget cuts that have forced temporary staff cuts, the Federal Aviation Administration warned Tuesday.
A trade organization for the nation's airlines has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the cuts, warning they could cause delays of up to four hours at major hub airports, affecting up to 6,700 flights a day and one out of every three passengers.
The delays are expected to continue through October as the number of air traffic controllers on duty is cut by 10 per cent. The FAA's 47,000 employees are being required to take unpaid days off as the agency seeks to slash its budget by five per cent.
Some 1,200 flights were delayed Monday as a result of the staffing cuts while another 1,400 were delayed due to weather and other factors, the FAA said.
On Sunday, the first day of the staffing cuts, 400 flights were delayed due to the cuts.
"As a result of employee furloughs due to sequestration, the FAA is implementing traffic management initiatives at airports and facilities around the country," the agency said in a statement.
"Travelers can expect to see a wide range of delays that will change throughout the day depending on staffing and weather related issues."
Delays of 15 to 30 minutes slowed flights at major hubs in Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday as a result of the short staffing while New York area airports were experiencing delays averaging around two hours as a result of high winds.
The agency said it is dealing with the staffing problems by having controllers "space planes farther apart so they can manage traffic with current staff."
President Barack Obama's administration has come under intense fire from his political opponents for cutting frontline staffing levels rather than looking for savings elsewhere in the agency.
"Why is President Obama unnecessarily delaying your flight? FAA could cut other spending," House majority leader Eric Cantor tweeted on Tuesday.
A trade organization for the nation's airlines has filed a lawsuit seeking to halt the cuts, warning they could cause delays of up to four hours at major hub airports, affecting up to 6,700 flights a day and one out of every three passengers.
The delays are expected to continue through October as the number of air traffic controllers on duty is cut by 10 per cent. The FAA's 47,000 employees are being required to take unpaid days off as the agency seeks to slash its budget by five per cent.
Some 1,200 flights were delayed Monday as a result of the staffing cuts while another 1,400 were delayed due to weather and other factors, the FAA said.
On Sunday, the first day of the staffing cuts, 400 flights were delayed due to the cuts.
"As a result of employee furloughs due to sequestration, the FAA is implementing traffic management initiatives at airports and facilities around the country," the agency said in a statement.
"Travelers can expect to see a wide range of delays that will change throughout the day depending on staffing and weather related issues."
Delays of 15 to 30 minutes slowed flights at major hubs in Los Angeles and Dallas-Fort Worth on Tuesday as a result of the short staffing while New York area airports were experiencing delays averaging around two hours as a result of high winds.
The agency said it is dealing with the staffing problems by having controllers "space planes farther apart so they can manage traffic with current staff."
President Barack Obama's administration has come under intense fire from his political opponents for cutting frontline staffing levels rather than looking for savings elsewhere in the agency.
"Why is President Obama unnecessarily delaying your flight? FAA could cut other spending," House majority leader Eric Cantor tweeted on Tuesday.
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