It's chaos in the American skies. Things are no better on the ground: too many flights delayed and cancelled in the week that is ending. The tension therefore continues between the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the air carrier United Airlines. The first blames the bad weather management by the companies. Instead, the CEO of the airline, Scott Kirby, points an accusing finger at the shortage of personnel at FAA.

All eyes are on the "Big Apple". "John F. Kennedy", "Fiorello LaGuardia", and Newark airports in the New York area registered more than 41,000 delays due to staff shortages in the Summer of 2022. This week, FAA called to reduce flights, especially in the Big Apple. FAA acknowledged that staffing in the New York area is 54% of the minimum standard, compared to an average of 80% in other parts of the country.

The situation is "a direct result of the FAA's inability to address long-standing staffing shortages", Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a member of the Commerce Committee, wrote in a Spring letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. Faa denies having personnel problems, but the traffic jam in New York has been expected for months. And so the airlines are on a war footing.