Travelers and employees are still feeling the effects of the federal government shutdown at Philadelphia International Airport on Tuesday. The FAA has been cutting flights in an effort to ease the burden on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay, and keep the airspace safe.
On Tuesday, airlines are required by the FAA to slash 6% of flights, which is up from the 4% mandate that started Friday, at PHL and dozens of other airports across the country.
TSA security checkpoints throughout the late morning and early afternoon were moving smoothly. Security checkpoints at Terminal A West and Terminal F remain closed.
Several travelers told CBS News Philadelphia they came early to the airport just in case.
“We just played a wait and see, kept checking things to make sure, and we’re retired, so if we have to wait, we wait,” Rosemarie Assad, who was flying to Minnesota, said.
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association said in a statement, “This nation’s air traffic controllers have been working without pay for over 40 days. The vast majority of these highly trained and skilled professionals continue to perform one of the most stressful and demanding jobs in the world, despite not being compensated. … Congress must put an end to this shutdown today. Enough is enough.”
The funding bill that would end the government shutdown is headed to the House of Representatives for a final vote as soon as Wednesday after the Senate approved it in a 60-40 vote Monday.
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