Government shutdown delays flights on the East Coast

Another day, another tangible impact of the government shutdown on the American people.

On Friday morning, the FAA began delaying flights into major East Coast airports — LaGuardia, Newark, Reagan (D.C.), and Philadelphia — due to air traffic control staff shortages in centers in Washington and Florida.

SEE ALSO: Delta CEO says the government shutdown will cost them $25 million this month

The disruptions come a day after several airline executives expressed concern about the shutdown’s impact on their industry and as the public is starting to blame Trump more and more for the shutdown.

Of the all the Friday delays, the biggest reaction was around LaGuardia, mostly because of its reputation and location in New York City. However, JFK, Newark, and Philadelphia are all ranked as busier airports than LaGuardia.

That didn’t stop travelers from going into meltdown mode on Twitter, though, cracking jokes and lamenting in general. 

If things are bad now, though, just wait. The chain-reaction of just these delays is sure to cause a horrendous mess heading into the weekend.  Additionally, Atlanta’s airport is consistently ranked as the busiest in the world, and it’s expecting an influx of travelers for next week’s Super Bowl. Things may get whole lot messier.