Denver International Airport is feeling the ripple effects of Washington’s shutdown games. In a report from The Denver Post by Katie Langford, air traffic controllers at DIA flagged staffing shortages on Tuesday afternoon that could force ground delays. The Federal Aviation Administration said Denver controllers posted a “staffing triggers” notice from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and while operations continued, the airport might need traffic management to cope.
Langford notes that as of 2:30 p.m., FlightAware showed about 100 flights delayed and one cancellation. The article ties the turbulence squarely to the ongoing federal shutdown, now dragging into its second month. Controllers are among the essential employees working without pay, and the Transportation Secretary warned of potential “mass chaos” if this keeps up.
The Bullet Point Brief
• DIA controllers reported staffing shortages and posted a 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. alert.
• FAA says a ground delay program could be used to manage traffic if needed.
• By 2:30 p.m., around 100 flights were delayed and one was canceled.
• The federal shutdown is in month two. Essential staff are working without pay.
• The Transportation Secretary warned of mass flight delays and cancellations if this continues.
My Bottom Line
Here is the part that should make every traveler grind their teeth in the TSA line. The pain at the airport is not an accident. It is politics. The solution is boring and obvious. Vote yes on a clean continuing resolution and keep the lights on while the adults finish a real budget. The same kind of CR that senators have supported before.
In Colorado, Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper are choosing the pain. Pain in airports. Pain in grocery stores for those who depend on SNAP. All because saying yes to a clean CR would end the theater and start the work. This is performative politics at the expense of people who cannot afford a delay. Stop playing chicken with paychecks and planes. Pass the CR and spare Coloradans the drama.
Source: The Denver Post
