More traffic delays are coming to the air

If Paul Revere was trying to warn people living in NYC of impending traffic jams – one if by land, two if by air – three lanterns would be hanging above the Statue of Liberty rn.

One, because, well, it’s about to be morning commute time. The two other lanterns would be because JetBlue is preparing to cut dozens of weekly flights in the NYC area this spring and summer in response to a shortage of air traffic controllers, CEO Robin Hayes told CNBC this week.

The airline's move comes in response to a FAA report released last week, which predicted a 45% year-over-year increase in delays at NYC-area airports this summer due to ongoing staffing shortfalls at its Air Route Traffic Control centers🕯️🕯️🗽.

And much like in The Last of Us, it’s not just New York that’s afflicted – the overall number of certified air traffic controllers across the US has fallen from 15,200 a decade ago to 14,000 today.

• That could change soon though; the US Transportation Department submitted a budget request this month seeking $117 million to hire 1,500 new air traffic controllers this year, then 1,800 next year.

🇺🇸🕯️🕯️ Zoom out: A handful of other US airlines, including United, Delta, American, and Hawaiian Airlines, have also announced plans to cut flights from their spring and summer schedules, stemming in part from a shortage of air traffic controllers.