Government Shutdown Strains Air Traffic Control: Near Misses Rise at CT and NY Airports

**Question:** Have you reconsidered your thoughts about air travel? I certainly have. I came across this headline from ABC News 7: "Nearly 13,000 Air Traffic Controllers Working Without Pay as Shutdown Enters Second Month." The result? A thinner safety margin. Every missing controller means fewer eyes monitoring takeoffs, fewer voices catching mistakes, and longer stretches of exhausting concentration in one of the world’s most stressful jobs.

LaGuardia Airport (New York) — October 1–2, 2025 - Two regional jets operated by Delta Air Lines’ subsidiary Endeavor Air collided at low speed while taxiing at LaGuardia. According to Business Insider, one plane arrived from Charlotte, and the other was departing for Roanoke. A wing of one aircraft struck the nose of the other; a flight attendant was injured. No passengers were hurt.

“The nation’s air traffic control system isn’t just short-staffed — it’s running on fumes.”

So, here's the deal: The ongoing federal government shutdown has stretched an already thin air-traffic-controller workforce to the breaking point. Nearly half of the nation’s busiest airports are operating below safe staffing levels. Some controllers are working without pay; others are simply burned out. Every missing voice in a tower means one less set of eyes scanning for danger.

For Connecticut travelers, the message is clear: while air travel remains statistically safe, that safety depends on people — and those people are stretched thin. Until Congress and the FAA can restore full staffing, every smooth landing at Bradley, LaGuardia, or JFK is more than routine — it’s remarkable.