Staffing shortages are contributing to ground delays, longer wait times and travel modifications at airports across the country due to the government shutdown. 

Passengers expecting speedy layovers and smooth transitions in some major cities have been jolted by unexpected delays or cancellations.  

More than 3,600 flights, both domestic and international, were delayed Tuesday, and 70 flights canceled. 

As of Wednesday morning, 460 flights have been delayed and 25 were canceled, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.

While some staff have been furloughed, crucial roles like air traffic controllers are expected to continue to work without pay. The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 mandates back pay, though a new White House memo has floated a different interpretation of the law.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has encouraged workers to maintain morale amid uncertainty but has admitted federal closures have impacted passengers and will continue to cause a “ripple effect” for travelers. 

Here are the airports with staffing shortages: 

Hollywood Burbank Airport

Hollywood Burbank Airport has experienced a series of delays and cancellations directly tied to the government shutdown. On Monday, there were no air traffic controllers guiding plane traffic for nearly six hours beginning at 4:15 p.m.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) hit the White House over the staffing issue that he blamed on Washington. 

“Thanks, @realDonaldTrump! Burbank Airport has ZERO air traffic controllers from 4:15pm to 10pm today because of YOUR government shutdown,” Newsom wrote Monday on social media. 

Earlier this year, Washington Post readers ranked Hollywood Burbank Airport as one of the top 15 in the nation, citing on-time flights, easy navigation and accessibility as its strengths. 

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the busiest in the nation for passenger travel, has experienced some interruptions in recent days. 

As of Wednesday morning, it has seen a total of 65 delays and two cancellations, as reported by FlightAware. On Tuesday, a total of 165 flights were delayed. 

An airport spokesperson said issues were not tied to the government shutdown in a statement to 11Alive.

However, staffing issues at Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center were flagged by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), according to a report from Reuters.

“We’re tracking sick calls, sick leave. And have we had a slight tick up in sick calls? Yes,” Duffy told reporters Monday. 

“You’ll see delays come from that. … Our priorities are safety, and so if we have additional calls, we will reduce the flow consistent with a rate that’s safe for the American people.” 

Chicago O’Hare

FAA alterations were implemented at Chicago O’Hare on Tuesday evening. A Ground Delay Program was in place for approximately five hours starting at 6 p.m., adjusting arrivals and departures with an average delay of 40 minutes.

As of Wednesday morning, 25 flights have been delayed, according to flychicago.com.

O’Hare facilitates hundreds of flights daily. It experienced its busiest month in July, marking a milestone for the airport’s 70-year history, Axios Chicago reported.

Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston airports

Three airports in Texas have experienced delays due to staffing shortages.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport and Hobby Airport, both in Houston, were at risk of ground stops Tuesday due to low staffing numbers. 

While neither saw a full stop for departures and arrivals, both saw significant delays, as did Dallas Love Field Airport, which reported one-hour delays. 

Johnny Jones, president of Local 1040 of the American Federation of Government Employees at Dallas Fort-Worth, said, “as you get longer into the shutdown, like the one back in 2018, 2019, folks literally didn’t have the funds to go to work,” in a statement to NBC 5.

“They’re probably not there yet, but if they go another week or so, this could be starting to become a challenge for some of my coworkers,” he added.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty, lot of questions coming from the field. They don’t know how long this is gonna last,” Jones continued. 

“They’re not gonna get a full paycheck, so their next paycheck is gonna be partial already because of the way that this shutdown started. And that’s definitely a concern for a lot of the employees.”

Other impacted airports

Airports in Newark, N.J., and Nashville, Tenn., are also experiencing staffing shortages.

The FAA said Daytona Beach International Airport in Florida, Boston Logan International Airport and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas will be closed at some point Wednesday.