FAA shortages, REAL ID deadline put a snag in air travel

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Passengers are being warned to expect delays as summer travel ramps up. That’s because FAA shortages and REAL ID requirements could hamper air travel.

With the busy summer travel season just weeks away, air travelers are already dealing with delays.

“We had to wait two hours in Los Angeles to even board the plane,” one Newark airport passenger said.

Passengers at the airport in New Jersey have been frustrated by long delays and cancellations.

“I have a lot of travel coming up, so hopefully they can resolve this quickly,” another passenger, Jonathan Norri, said.

Technical failures and a lack of air traffic controllers have disrupted air travel at Newark, one of the busiest airports in the country. United Airlines announced Friday that it’s cancelling 35 round-trip flights per day.

United CEO Scott Kirby released a statement that said, in part, “Newark airport cannot handle the number of planes that are scheduled to operate there in the weeks and months ahead.

The lack of air traffic controllers is a nationwide problem. Transportation secretary Sean Duffy said that stations are short by about 3,000 air traffic controllers. Higher salaries and bonuses are being offered as incentives, but the training and hiring processes can still take months.

“It’s our job to actually see over the horizon what the issues are and fix it before there is an incident we would seriously regret,” Duffy said.

These issues come just days ahead of the federal government rolling out REAL ID requirements. Come May 7, all passengers flying domestically will need a special driver’s license or ID that in most states has a star in the right corner.

If passengers don’t have the REAL ID, they’ll need to bring their passport or other approved documents to fly. The TSA is warning passengers to expect delays during this transition.