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Staffing issues trigger temporary ground stop at LAX
The ongoing government shutdown continues, and it's impacting air travel.
LOS ANGELES - The ongoing government shutdown continues to impact air travel in the U.S.
What we know:
The Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Sunday morning for departing flights to Oakland due to staffing issues.
The stoppage was issued at 8:45 a.m. Sunday and was lifted by 10:30 a.m., according to an LAX spokesperson, who told City News Service that the order only applied to Oakland flights.
The spokesperson added that those flights might face further delays Sunday, but their status was not immediately clear.
What they're saying:
"We were delayed a long time," one passenger told FOX 11.
An LAX staffer said she understands where the air traffic controllers are coming from.
"I think it's quite understandable because people are working long hours, and they're not getting paid. They don't have gas, they don't have food," said Queen Leslie.
Dig deeper:
This isn't just happening at LAX, as airports across the nation are seeing staffing shortages at their air traffic control towers during the shutdown.
The U.S. Secretary of Transportation said the problem is getting worse as more air traffic controllers are calling in sick, so it's a problem that's expected to continue while the government remains shut down.
The Source: City News Service contributed to this report. This story also used information from interviews conducted at Los Angeles International Airport.