Making the flight could be more of a challenge this summer.
Aviation leaders are warning about an increase in flight delays. These problems may ramp up during the summer travel season and could be linked to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Nationwide, the F.A.A. says it’s about 19 percent short of its staffing level goals for air traffic controllers. That means thousands of vacant jobs.
They’re trying to change that and protect from runway near-misses.
The latest data from the F.A.A. shows that as of September of last year, some airports are short of their goals of air traffic controllers. In May, the F.A.A has been on a push to hire more controllers nationwide. These are the people responsible for managing planes as they take off and land, guiding pilots, and monitoring planes in the sky.
The shortage is mostly due to aging controllers who are retiring and leaving jobs open. It comes after increased scrutiny of air traffic controllers and their role in near misses on airport runways.