A snowstorm sweeping across the Midwest is adding to the strain on the already stressed US air travel system.
According to data from the flight-tracking website FlightAware, cancellations of flights within, into, or out of the US totaled 4,683 on Monday. There were also 11,752 flight delays recorded in the US on the same day.
This adds to the 3,248 cancellations and 10,741 delays on Sunday.
The problem areas were concentrated in the Midwest, which is being battered by a winter storm. The National Weather Service said in a Monday advisory that the upper Great Lakes and upper Midwest area saw heavy snow.
The NWS said in the advisory that people should “expect moments of gusty winds and brief heavy snow bands that could cause local travel impacts.”
Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and Charlotte Douglas International Airport recorded the most cancellations on Monday.
Pictures taken at airports on Monday showed massive crowds and snaking lines at security checks.
“Passengers are experiencing longer-than-normal wait times at TSA security checkpoints due to the partial government shutdown and recent inclement weather impacting flight operations,” Atlanta’s airport said in a Monday X post.
It advised passengers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before their flight.
The heavy snowfall comes as the country’s air travel is already stretched thin because of a partial government shutdown, which has led to federal aviation workers, like TSA employees and air traffic controllers, working without paychecks.
Many TSA officers are not showing up for their shifts, leading to long wait times at security checks across the country.
On Sunday, the CEOs of major US airlines said in an open letter to Congress that $0 paychecks for TSA staff were “simply unacceptable.” They urged Congress to pass legislation protecting these workers during shutdowns.
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