Yesterday was another challenging day for the commercial aviation sector in the United States of America, with widespread delays and cancellations continuing to prevail as the country comes to terms with the impacts of the ongoing government shutdown. With the existing air traffic control shortage having been exacerbated by controllers being made to work without pay, many major hubs have been hit hard.
While the situation is challenging enough as it is, when combined with other external factors, the result is nothing short of operational chaos. These were the circumstances facing Chicago O’Hare Airport yesterday, when it was hit by the lethal combination of the current disruption and a winter storm warning. This saw the Illinois facility sit at the top of the table when it came to delays and cancellations, with almost 1,000 combined flights affected.
Chicago Sits At The Top Of An Undesirable League Table
According to airport disruption data made available by Flightradar24, 
Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) saw a grand total of 943 of its flights either canceled or delayed yesterday. This represented an alarming proportion of 74% of its planned daily operations, and was split between 320 cancellations (25%) and 623 delays (49%). As one of the main hubs in the Midwest, this will have had a huge impact on regional connectivity.
According to NBC, a ground delay program was implemented at O’Hare between 11:50 yesterday and 00:59 this morning as the airport continued to struggle with staffing issues. These were exacerbated by a winter storm warning, with CBS noting that flights out of O’Hare were delayed by 53 minutes on average, compared to just 15 at neighboring Chicago Midway (MDW). NBC reported that the FAA had issued the following statement:
“With continued delays and unpredictable staffing shortages, which are driving fatigue, risk is further increasing, and the FAA is concerned with the system’s ability to maintain the current volume of operations.”
US Airports Dominated The Rankings Yesterday
While Chicago O’Hare International Airport was the worst offender among US hubs yesterday when it came to delays and cancellations, it was far from the only major airport in the country to feature in the undesirable league table of the worst-affected facilities. Indeed, nine of the top 10 in yesterday’s rankings were US airports, with 
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport(ATL) sitting second, on 150 cancellations and 270 delays.
Elsewhere, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) didn’t do so badly in terms of cancellations, with just 63 (or 9%), but exactly half of its flights were delayed yesterday, with 350 of its services meeting this fate. Carrying on through the top 10, New York LaGuardia (LGA) sat fourth, followed by Boston Logan (BOS) in fifth, Las Vegas (LAS) in seventh, Newark (EWR) in eighth, Orlando (MCO) in ninth, and New York (JFK) in 10th.
The only exception to this alarming trend was Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ). Located to the north of the US border, this Canadian hub sat sixth yesterday, with 64 cancellations (12%) and 292 delays (54%) to its name. The latter was the joint-highest percentage of delayed flights in the top 10, and was shared by Boston. According to Open Jaw, an early winter storm was the driving force behind Toronto’s disruption yesterday.
The Shutdown Continues To Linger
With air traffic controllers being federal employees, they are being forced to go into work without being paid for doing so during the ongoing US government shutdown. However, this untenable situation has forced many to call in sick due to increased stress, resulting in the country’s already severe ATC staff shortage being exacerbated. This has prompted US regulators to limit capacity at major hubs, hence the ongoing disruption.
With no end in sight and delays and cancellations continuing to pile up, Reuters reported earlier this morning that US President Donald Trump has threatened to dock the pay of ATC staff who have understandably taken time off, while proposing bonuses for those who have not. According to the BBC, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that air traffic could “reduce to a trickle” if the shutdown continues and no solution is found.
