Atlanta Airport Sees Delays Due To Worker Shortage

Some of the nation's major airports reported big delays Friday due to federal aviation worker sick callouts during the longest partial government shutdown in history, which came to a temporary end on Friday. President Donald Trump announced a tentative agreement to reopen the government for three weeks while lawmakers continue to discuss funding for a wall along the southern border.

Trump's announcement came as delays were reported on Friday at some of the busiest's airports in the United States, including at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration briefly halted flights into New York City's LaGuardia Airport Friday, which affected air travel across the country.

In Atlanta on Friday morning and early afternoon, flights were delayed about between an hour and an hour and 15 minutes, according to a Federal Aviation Administration map. Check back here throughout the day if you plan to travel or meet a flight.

Read more: Trump Announces Deal To Reopen Government For 3 Weeks

The slowdown occured as more people head to Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII, set for Sunday, Feb. 3, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. More than 1,000 additional aircraft are expected to fly into and out of metro Atlanta over a three-day period for the game, increasing pressure on not only Hartsfield-Jackson, but also DeKalb-Peachtree Airport in DeKalb County.

Read more: PDK Air Traffic Increasing As Super Bowl Nears

And: Cobb Expects 700 Percent Super Bowl Increase In Airport Traffic

Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines have already added additional flights into and out of Atlanta in advance of the game, as well as the day after the game, now being called "Mass Exodus Monday."

Read more: Delta, Southwest Adding More Flights For Super Bowl LIII

The FAA’s stop on flights into LaGuardia came two days after aviation workers released a statement warning the shutdown poses serious risks to both its members and travelers.

“In our risk-averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break,” the statement released Wednesday read.

Airlines are pressuring President Trump and Congress to reopen the government.

“We’re working closely with FAA and airport officials to try to minimize the impact on our operations and, most importantly, on our customers,” United Airlines said in a statement Friday. “At this point, we don’t anticipate significant schedule disruptions, but it is another good illustration of the escalating impact of the government shutdown and the need for the federal government to promptly re-open.”

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump is closely monitoring the situation.

"The president has been briefed and we are monitoring the ongoing delays at some airports," Saders said. "We are in regular contact with officials at the Department of Transportation and the FAA."

The shutdown entered its 35th day Friday, which also marks the second missed paycheck for the 800,000 federal workers who have been furloughed during the dispute over border wall funding. Workers who are critical to air safety are among those working without pay.

Read More: Flights Into LaGuardia Stopped Amid Shutdown

LaGuardia-bound flights from Newark International and Philadelphia International airports were delayed an average of 41 minutes, the Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement.

"We have experienced a slight increase in sick leave at two air traffic control facilities affecting New York and Florida," the FAA said in a statement. "As with severe storms, we will adjust operations to a safe rate to match available controller resources. We've mitigated the impact by augmenting staffing, rerouting traffic, and increasing spacing between aircraft as needed.

"The results have been minimal impacts to efficiency while maintaining consistent levels of safety in the national airspace system," the statement continued. "The public can monitor air traffic atfly.faa.gov and they should check with airline carriers for more information."

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images