tl;dr – Hollywood Burbank’s air traffic control tower went unmanned for several hours Monday evening.
What happens when the Federal government shuts down? Some workers don’t get paid. What happens when people don’t get paid? Well, predictably (and justifiably), they may not want to work. On Monday evening, some travelers departing out of Southern California’s Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) got an ‘on the ground’ (sorry) view of the consequences of Congressional bickering.
Due to the shutdown, several air traffic controllers called in, leaving the Monday evening shift unstaffed from about 4:15 pm to 10 pm. As a result, several flights were impacted, including the outright cancellation of a few departures and scheduled arrivals to the airport. Many more flights were delayed, with the longest delay lasting roughly four hours.
Here’s hoping Washington can get it together to 1) ensure furloughed workers can get paid (with any accrued back pay!), 2) curb any additional disruptions to upcoming travel!
