FAA warns of staff shortages in trying to head off summer delays

The FAA said air traffic volumes between the two regions made the nation’s capital a likely target for carriers seeking to consolidate flights. At the same time, the FAA forecasts that air traffic to the region will increase 7 percent this summer compared to last summer, which the agency says could translate into 45 percent higher delays. Problems at the New York facility are long-standing and have led to clashes in the past between FAA management and the National Association of Air Traffic Controllers labor union. Data that airlines submit to the FAA showed last summer that carriers were responsible for an unusually high share of the disruptions. But the failure of an FAA safety bulletin system in January also showed the government’s systems were vulnerable.