Hundreds of flights delayed at major airports in New York as the longest government shutdown in history leads to air-traffic-control staffing shortages

Flights were delayed and re-routed on Friday due to staffing shortages as the government shutdown entered its 35th day. Ground stops were in place at some of the nation's busiest airports as air traffic controllers, working without pay, began to stay home. By 10:45 am, flights were no longer halted, but delays continued. Cabin crews reportedly told passengers on some flights that they were taking extra fuel in the event of holding patterns. The government shutdown is starting to have a real impact on flights throughout the country.Staffing shortages at the Federal Aviation Administration, the US‘ top air traffic regulator, have caused delays at some of the country’s biggest airports on Friday morning, including Philadelphia, Tampa, Florida and New York City‘s La Guardia Airport, as well as Newark, according to the agency's website. More specifically, there is a shortage of air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay since the shutdown commenced in on December 22. In a statement, the FAA said it had "experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two facilities.""We are mitigating the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft when needed," it continued. The facilities have been identified as ZDC or Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, Virginia and Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center in Hillard, Florida. These two control centers managed air traffic for much of the East Coast of the US. At 10:00 am ET, Newark and LaGuardia reported departure delays of between 30 and 45 minutes. Philadelphia reported delays of more than an hour. Washington DC's Reagan airport also suffered from delays but was dropped from the list later in the morning. By 10:30 am, only New York's LaGuardia and Newark airports remained on the list. Traffic management programs, also known as ground stops, don't necessarily apply to all flights into and out of an airport. The ground delay program limits the number of departures in order to lessen the volume that air traffic controllers have to direct. According to flights tracking website FlightAware.com, 158 flights departing from LaGuardia and 154 bound for LGA have already been delayed on Friday. The site's data shows 56 flights departing from Newark and 35 flights inbound have been delayed. Federal workers deemed essential, like air traffic controllers and TSA security screeners, have been working without pay for 35 days now as the shutdown enters its second month. Workers were set to miss their second regularly scheduled paycheck on Friday due to the shutdown.Some flights have been re-routed in order to deal with the traffic management programs in place.Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1088805483635458048？ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw We’ve been worried this would happen, and it isn‘t at all surprising. https://t.co/ZNePelzv6kJoaquin Castro, a Texas politician, says the crew on his Southwest flight to San Antonio said they had packed extra fuel in case the shutdown lead to delays.Tweet Embed: //twitter.com/mims/statuses/1088807335496159232？ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw On my SWA flight home to San Antonio one of the pilots (or crew) announced that due to the government shutdown there’s a staffing shortage w/ respect to air traffic control and some planes are being rerouted to accommodate the situation. Says they loaded extra fuel just in case.Many agencies have also been seeing an uptick in employees calling out sick. The TSA had an unprecedented 10% absence rate on Monday over the holiday, reflecting about 3,000 workers, compared to 3% the same weekend a year prior.Many federal workers have turned to food pantries and government programs to keep food on the table while without income. In one viral gesture, Canadian air traffic controllers sent pizza to their American counterparts as a goodwill gesture.The union that represents flight attendants blasted Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and other lawmakers for allowing the shutdown to go on for this long. "This is exactly what AFA and other aviation unions have been warning would happen," Association of Flight Attendants-CWA president Sara Nelson said in a statement. "The aviation system depends on the safety professionals who make it run. They have been doing unbelievably heroic work even as they are betrayed by the government that employs them. They are fatigued, worried, and distracted - but they won't risk our safety. So the planes will stay on the ground." "Do we have you attention now, Leader McConnell？ All Lawmakers？ Open the government and then get back to the business of democracy to discuss whatever issue you so choose," the statement continues. New York's governor Andrew Cuomo said the incident was "another day of federal madness." "Now it's not just Washington, in the beltway, now literally they‘re slowing down air traffic in the United States of America," he told reporters. Air Canada, which flies into both LaGuardia and Newark, said Friday that it had revised its ticketing policy for customers affected by the air traffic control restrictions. "Air Canada is monitoring the situation closely and is working to get you on your way safely and as quickly as possible," it said. On Thursday, JetBlue’s CEO Robin Hayes warned that the air travel network is nearing a "tipping point" as the government shutdown stretches on without an end in sight."Our crew members and customers are likely to face extended security lines, flight delays, and even cancellations," Hayes said. "And the longer this goes on, the longer it will take for the air travel infrastructure to rebound."Lapsed food benefits for millions, courts system on the brink, and the potential for recession: other effects of the shutdownThe former White House aide Anthony Scaramucci warned that the partial shutdown could put America's economy into a recession if it continued for another month.John Kelly, the former White House chief of staff, publicly asked Trump and Congress to end the shutdown, specifically citing its effects on the Department of Homeland Security.Because of the shutdown, Trump became the first president in US history to be disinvited from delivering the State of the Union address.New car models may not be rolled out during the shutdown.FBI agents gave shocking warnings about how the shutdown could affect safety in the US.By the end of this week, the shutdown could end up costing more than the $5.7 billion Trump wants for the border wall.The government has been left powerless in dealing with product recalls, potentially putting customers in dangerous situations.Schools are worried about being able to feed children their lunches if the shutdown continues.Cybersecurity experts say the shutdown is putting the US is at greater risk of attack.Secret Service agents are working with no pay, with some saying that they are struggling to make ends meet and that job performance could be affected.National parks are facing piles of trash and damaged trees.Read more:There are no NTSB investigators to look into plane crashes and highway accidents because they've been sent home during the government shutdownTSA has found money to give employees transit and parking benefits during the government shutdownUnpaid TSA workers are 'trying not to panic' as bills stack upDelta can't put its new Airbus jets into service because FAA inspectors have been sent home during the government shutdownCanadian air traffic controllers are buying hundreds of pizzas for US colleagues who aren't getting paid in the government shutdownRead Business Insider's full coverage of the shutdown here.An earlier version of this post incorrectly identified Joaquin Castro, he is a US representative in Texas.