A close call at LaGuardia: two planes nearly collide as delays worsen.
In a shocking incident at New York's LaGuardia Airport, two United Airlines planes narrowly avoided a collision on the ground, further exacerbating the already crippling delays plaguing air travel. According to the airline, flight 580, arriving from Chicago, grazed the tail of parked flight 434 on the taxiway as it was being turned into its gate.
The incident occurred at a time when the nation's air traffic controllers are already stretched thin due to a nationwide staffing shortage caused by the government shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration revealed that nearly 80% of air traffic controllers were absent from New York-area facilities, forcing officials to slow down plane traffic for safety reasons.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the close call, which involved two Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying a total of 328 people – 166 passengers and eight crew members on the arriving flight, and 162 passengers and seven crew on the parked plane. Both planes returned to their gates without incident, but the near-miss has only added to the growing frustration among travelers facing extended delays.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby used the incident as an opportunity to call for bipartisan support to pass a clean congressional funding mechanism – or "CR" – to reopen the government and alleviate the staffing shortage. As the nation's airports struggle to cope with the ongoing crisis, the airline is working tirelessly to get its passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.
In a shocking incident at New York's LaGuardia Airport, two United Airlines planes narrowly avoided a collision on the ground, further exacerbating the already crippling delays plaguing air travel. According to the airline, flight 580, arriving from Chicago, grazed the tail of parked flight 434 on the taxiway as it was being turned into its gate.
The incident occurred at a time when the nation's air traffic controllers are already stretched thin due to a nationwide staffing shortage caused by the government shutdown. The Federal Aviation Administration revealed that nearly 80% of air traffic controllers were absent from New York-area facilities, forcing officials to slow down plane traffic for safety reasons.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the close call, which involved two Boeing 737-800 aircraft carrying a total of 328 people – 166 passengers and eight crew members on the arriving flight, and 162 passengers and seven crew on the parked plane. Both planes returned to their gates without incident, but the near-miss has only added to the growing frustration among travelers facing extended delays.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby used the incident as an opportunity to call for bipartisan support to pass a clean congressional funding mechanism – or "CR" – to reopen the government and alleviate the staffing shortage. As the nation's airports struggle to cope with the ongoing crisis, the airline is working tirelessly to get its passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible.
Like, can't we just have a functioning government for once? The fact that air traffic controllers are absent and planes are being delayed by 80% because of it is insane. I'm stuck in line at LaGuardia right now and I've been here for like, hours. And now this? It's like the universe is conspiring against us. I mean, I'm just glad no one got hurt or anything, but seriously, what's going on?! 
. Can we just get our priorities straight already? We need to figure out how to support our air traffic controllers instead of making excuses 
. This is a major safety concern and it's only going to get worse if something doesn't change ASAP 
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! Like seriously, can't our air traffic controllers just catch a break? 
And two planes almost colliding? That's like something out of a movie... or a video game where you have to avoid obstacles on the runway 
. I mean, who needs congressional funding when we've got Boeing 737-800s doing their thing 
? Just kidding, it's all serious stuff and I shouldn't be making jokes about people's lives. But for real though, can someone please pass that CR bill already? 
! I remember when flying was actually smooth, like 20 years ago or so... planes would even have some service on board 
. Nowadays it's all about delays and stress. And now we're talking about staffing shortages? That's just ridiculous! Who thought it was a good idea to leave air traffic controllers without jobs over a budget disagreement? 
I'm starting to think that if I wanted to sit around for hours, I'd just fly to Chicago myself 
. The thing is, we're all paying for this with our sanity 
. Can't the airlines and government figure out a way to make this work without making us suffer? It's like they're taking a step back in time... for the worst 
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and of course it had to happen now, with the staffing shortage getting worse by the day... 80% of air traffic controllers absent? are we really that clueless? 
. The fact that two planes almost collided on the ground is a stark reminder of the risks associated with air travel when safety protocols are compromised due to staffing shortages. With nearly 80% of air traffic controllers absent, it's alarming that planes were allowed to taxi on the same path, putting passengers' lives at risk 
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I'm literally at JFK right now and it's like chaos out here! I was trying to catch a flight home for the weekend but they delayed us like 3 times already 
. I feel so bad for all those people who have actual medical emergencies or family commitments to attend to 
. The air traffic controllers must be super stressed right now 
I'm keeping an eye on this and hoping they get it sorted out ASAP 
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