There were already delays beginning to pile up at Newark Airport Tuesday ahead of the peak Thanksgiving travel rush, as the TSA said it was expecting record numbers. On the roads, around 72 million Americans were expected to drive for the holiday, but many are opting to take the train rather than battle traffic. NBC New York’s Adam Harding, Gus Rosendale and Melissa Colorado have team coverage.
On what is expected to be the busiest air travel day of the Thanksgiving holiday period this year, the Federal Aviation Administration warned about a possible ground ground delay at Newark Liberty International Airport.
The FAA's airport status website listed a ground delay program at Newark Airport that into effect at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The FAA's advisory said it anticipated the average delay to last 95 minutes with the maximum delay lasting more than three hours.
By 4 p.m. Wednesday, nearly 300 flights arriving or departing from Newark had been delayed, according to FlightAware. To compare it to the New York City airports, there were just over 100 delays at JFK Airport, and about 50 delays at LaGuardia.
Wednesday is expected to be the busiest days at our nation's airports.
The Transportation Security Administration said it expects to screen a record 18.3 million people from Tuesday, Nov. 26 though Monday, Dec. 2, and that includes three million people on Wednesday.
AAA said it projects 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday season.
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A ground delay program would follow similar actions by the FAA on Monday and Tuesday at Newark Airport due to staffing shortages.
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According to United Airlines, the FAA has reduced traffic flows into Newark for 12 of the first 25 days in November impacting 343,000 of its passengers.
"The FAA needs more air traffic controllers. The FAA shortage has been especially acute at its TRACON center for Newark airspace, forcing it to reduce traffic flows to our Newark hub so that FAA can manage air traffic safely," United said in a statement to NBC New York.
In a statement to NBC New York on Monday, the FAA said, "The FAA is slowing traffic into Newark Liberty International Airport due to staffing issues at the Philadelphia TRACON (PHL)." Some of Newark's air traffic controllers are based in Philadelphia, explaining why the staffing shortages would impact the airport that is closer to New York City.
The FAA suggests passengers visit https://nasstatus.faa.gov/ for the latest air traffic information. Passengers should also check with their airline for the latest status of their flights into or out of the New York area.
