NEWS: Over 350 Flights Delayed at Orlando Airport Today (So Far)

Last month, a new government shutdown began that affects funding for the Department of Homeland Security, and while flying has been rough recently, it’s reached a new level this past weekend.

However, this isn’t only due to the shutdown — there are two other major factors affecting the massive amounts of delays and cancellations this weekend, but we feel it’s important to warn you that things may still get worse before they get better.

By about 9:30 AM this morning at Orlando International Airport, there have already been 348 delays and 161 cancellations, which doesn’t bode well for the rest of the day.

But wait, air traffic controllers aren’t affected by this government shutdown (unlike last year’s shutdown), so why are actual flights being affected? Well, the truth is that there are multiple problems going on right now. One of them is a massive weather pattern that has made its way across much of the East Coast this past weekend, but continues to affect some areas throughout today. It’s because of this that the number of cancellations and delays has soared over the past few days — if planes from further north can’t leave due to snow and/or ice, it’ll delay or cancel all the flights that are supposed to use that same plane.

Now, when it comes to the government shutdown, that’s affecting TSA agents, which means getting through security checkpoints before your flight. According to CNN, this past weekend was when TSA agents missed their first full paycheck. Over 300 TSA agents have already quit, and the callout rate has nearly doubled — going from 2% before the shutdown to about 6%. Now, federal employees will get back pay once the shutdown ends, but the lack of funds right now makes it difficult to put food on the table, pay rent, and take care of families.

It doesn’t help that this time around, there’s less support for workers. Many TSA workers who were interviewed by CNN have said some of them have opted to take thousands of dollars out of their retirement accounts to pay the bills, while others are borrowing from family and friends. Some are even having to decide which bills have to be paid, and what ones can wait until after the shutdown is over. Some airports have even taken to asking for travelers’ help, accepting donations of food, household supplies, gift cards, and more.

With this week being part of the peak spring break travel season, many airports are seeing much higher travel volume than normal. We’ll continue to keep you updated on all the latest travel news.