Part of that can be chalked up to the air traffic controller labor shortages. A government audit released in June found that 77% of critical air traffic control facilities in the US are staffed below the recommended threshold. Staffing shortages "have placed a tremendous amount of strain on air traffic controllers," Rich Santa, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in a statement to Insider. "Air traffic controllers are doing an exemplary job in a very difficult situation, but this is not sustainable." In May, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg told CNN that air traffic control needed 3,000 more workers to be fully staffed.

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Persons: Rich Santa, Transportation Pete Buttigieg Organizations: New York Times, Service, Southwest Airlines, FAA, Cessna, Times, NASA, Air, National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Transportation, CNN, California TRACON, htowey Locations: Wall, Silicon, San Diego, what's, California, Jacksonville