10 days, 2,200 delays at Charlotte airport. Experts say there’s blame to share
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- Over 2,200 flight delays hit Charlotte in ten days amid ongoing federal shutdown.
- Experts cite weather, staffing absences and aging FAA systems as key causes.
- Charlotte airport urges passengers to check airlines and arrive early for flights.
Flight delays at Charlotte’s airport have surpassed the 2,200 mark in the past 10 days amid the federal government shutdown — but aviation experts believe air traffic controller shortages shouldn’t shoulder all the blame.
Instead, weather disruptions that inconvenience passengers should be considered part of the reason for some delays, according to Sheldon Jacobson, a computer science professor and aviation expert from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Aging infrastructure also could be a factor, he said, even as the shutdown drags on into a third week.
“When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail and people want to believe that the government shutdown is the problem,” Jacobson said, meaning the shutdown exacerbated the problem with delays but did not cause all of them.
Around 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, Charlotte Douglas International Airport had nearly 100 delays, according to FlightAware, which provides real-time online flight information. And before Monday, delays had already been in the hundreds, ranging from 132 on Oct. 8 to 372 on Sunday, Oct. 12.
The shutdown began Oct. 1 after Congress couldn’t agree on a plan to fund government agencies. This led to a shortage of air traffic controllers and delays at major airports in regions such as Los Angeles, New York, and Phoenix.
Weather, infrastructure, shutdown all impact CLT delays
Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers are deemed essential employees because they keep the national airspace system safe and secure. As the shutdown continues, more of them may call in sick, requiring others to step in and cover their critical duties.
“In an airport like Charlotte, which is so big, if a few people call in sick, it gets absorbed more easily at the larger airports than at the smaller airports,” Jacobson said.
But along with inclement weather, the nationwide airspace system suffers from outdated technology and needs to be upgraded. For example, a temporary closure at Newark, New Jersey, airport this year was caused by faulty copper wiring that disrupted communications.
Jacobson noted that improvements will require more than $31 billion to build a new air traffic control system, based on a report from the Department of Transportation to House members following the incident in New Jersey. This includes new radios, voice switches and radars.
Charlotte airport officials said they are not experiencing any immediate impact to their operations, according to a statement Wednesday to The Charlotte Observer. They have repeatedly stated that has been the case throughout the shutdown.
And while 2,234 delays in 10 days sounds like a lot for CLT, the data and statistics may be misleading, especially if a plane arriving or departing is just 15 minutes late, Jacobson said. “Even though it doesn’t seem like much, that statistic moves from being on time to being delayed,” he said.
“You have to look under the covers a little bit to see what’s really happening.”
The Charlotte airport said it did not have information for comparison of delayed or canceled flights from before the shutdown.
Air traffic controllers not getting paid for now
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association is encouraging workers to continue providing service, according to a public message on the union’s website.
Dan McCabe, the union’s southern regional vice president, said controllers in Charlotte appear to be holding the line by coming to work and working for free at the moment — a stressful thing to do.
“The crew at Charlotte does an absolutely outstanding job,” McCabe said. “They deserve to know that they’re going to get paid, or they’re going to be compensated for the work that they do.”
And like Jacobson, McCabe said delays are a part of air travel.
“Nobody out there wants their flight to be delayed,” McCabe said. “You have safety versus efficiency, and safety is something that we’re never willing to reduce ... but a delay means the system is doing exactly what it should. It’s staying safe.”
CLT airport issues guidance for passengers
CLT officials urge passengers to arrive at the terminal two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.
Passengers should contact their airline directly for flight updates.
Charlotte Douglas is the sixth-busiest airport in the world for takeoffs and landings. American Airlines is the dominant carrier at CLT, accounting for about 90% of the traffic.
American Airlines has continued to not provide comments about the ongoing delays.
Impacted by CLT flight delays?
Have you experienced flight delays at CLT due to the government shutdown? We want to hear from you. Please share your story by emailing cjordan@charlotteobserver.com
