Battling Budgets In The Air

More budget issues are causing delays and aggravation at airports nationwide. Starting last Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered air traffic controllers to take one furlough (unpaid leave) day for every two-week pay period. The goal is to cut about $600 million from its budget.

The FAA reported average delays of up to 3 hours and 7 minutes this past Sunday evening. Yesterday, Los Angeles Airport (LAX) issued a statement: “As of this morning, we are experiencing a flow rate of 68 flights per hour, arrivals and departures. That is not an abnormally low rate for LAX,” airport officials said. While officials are saying the delays aren’t as bad as expected; that may not be the case in the future. The FAA budget cut is causing a total of 149 smaller airports across the U.S. to shut down. Less money means less jobs, and possibly more problems for airport traffic.