Flights into airports serving New York, Denver and the Los Angeles area were delayed on Monday night because of shortages of air traffic controllers, hours after the transportation secretary warned that flying could be disrupted by the government shutdown.
The delays began in the late afternoon at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, where incoming flights were delayed nearly an hour on average, and at Denver International Airport, where arriving flights were delayed about 40 minutes.
Later in the evening, Hollywood Burbank Airport near Los Angeles reported average incoming delays of about two and a half hours, according to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory. The air traffic control tower that serves Burbank had no controllers working on Monday night, so management of incoming flights was being assumed by counterparts at Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control in San Diego, one of the busiest air traffic facilities in the world.
Kurt Duffens, 69, only learned of the news while waiting for his ride after flying in from Portland. He realized that the tower was unmanned while his flight was in the air. “I wouldn’t have flown,” Mr. Duffens said. “I actually would’ve gone to LAX had I known.”
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