U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is contemplating significant flight reductions at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to help ease ongoing travel disruptions.
This follows yet another radar outage over the weekend that prompted a ground stop, leading to numerous flight cancellations and delays. Speaking on Monday, Duffy acknowledged the gravity of the situation, while attributing much of the current turmoil to the Biden administration.
WATCH | Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy holds press conference on air travel disruptions
However, Duffy pointed out that air traffic control issues in America, particularly at Newark, stem from longstanding technology problems and a shortage of staff, with these issues persisting for decades.
The latest technical failure occurred on Sunday when telecommunications problems at the Philadelphia air traffic control center affected flights arriving at and departing from Newark. Travelers faced delays of up to 45 minutes as the ground stop took effect.
In response to the pressures faced by the airport, Duffy is set to hold a crucial meeting on Wednesday with leaders from the nation's top five airlines. The agenda will focus on strategies to reduce the volume of flights operating in and out of Newark.
"The goal is to have a manageable number of flights land at Newark," Duffy said Monday. "Families shouldn’t have to wait four or five hours for a flight that never takes off. By lowering the number of flights, we can ensure the ones that are kept, they do actually take off and they do actually land."
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Duffy has expressed concern that issues currently unfolding at Newark could foreshadow broader disruptions across the country, particularly with the busy summer travel season on the horizon. In light of these concerns, he has requested an investigation from the inspector general's office at the Transportation Department to determine how the aviation system reached this critical point.
In the meantime, travelers are advised to prepare for possible cutbacks if they have flights booked during peak travel times. AAA is forecasting a surge in travel in the coming months, and experts suggest that booking flights early in the morning or having standby options ready may help travelers avoid delays.
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