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From Dareh Gregorian
Regarding the Super Bowl LIII, air traffic controllers fly blindly.
The closure by the government has already resulted in the cancellation of planning meetings the game of February 3 in Atlanta, and if the federal budget stalemate persists, the airport controllers and the The world's busiest airport flight controllers will work without pay on game day.
Dan McCabe, NBC News' National Association of Air Traffic Controllers, told NBC News that his colleagues had held meetings over the past year to prepare for the growing influx of travelers into the United States. the region. But now the planning meetings, which included representatives from his union, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Football League, have been blocked.
"As soon as the closure took place, these meetings stopped," McCabe said. As a result, controllers feel less prepared than they would like for the additional 1,500 scheduled daily flights in the region during the Super Bowl week.
"When we are working on something as big as the Super Bowl – the biggest spectator event in the country – we need a lot of time to plan additional planes and traffic," he said. McCabe said. "We will ensure the safety of the event, but we want it to be a pleasant event for everyone. It's frustrating to know that I will not live up to what it's all about. could be."
already exhibited at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. Travelers say that they were forced to wait until three o'clock on the security lines because of a shortage of Security Administration agents. transport, which also work without pay.
"We are obviously in territory unknown with the closure that is Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told reporters Tuesday.
As a rule, between 60,000 and 80,000 passengers are checked every day at Hartsfield Airport -Jackson, according to airport statistics.While airport traffic is expected to increase throughout the week before the match, about 110,000 passengers are expected to leave the airport the next day after what Bottoms called "Mass Exodus Monday"
Security Attached
If Closing – currently taking place on the 27th day – continues, federal employees responsible for monitoring the security
The Department of Homeland Security is very involved in protecting the security anti – terrorism and other threats, in collaboration with the NFL, the FBI and local law enforcement.
This includes the staff. secret services, customs and border protection, immigration and customs law enforcement and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Like the FBI, all these agencies have been affected by the closure.
"I do not know how they will handle this," said Tim Bradley, security expert at IMG GlobalSecur. "How can they even pay for these agents to travel there if they have no funding?"
DHS spokesperson Tyler Houlton did not answer the question asked by NBC, but said: "The current funding from the government will be unusable, not having an effect on our commitment to ensuring a safe and secure event. "
" The department takes the security of high-risk events such as the Super Bowl very seriously, and we continue to assume our responsibility to protect and support local public safety.
Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields told reporters earlier this week that her department had been preparing for the match for two years.
"Our goal is for our officers to be visible, for the to feel safe and able to position ourselves so that we can immediately respond to any scenario we face, "said Shields." I think with all you can do, you Enter with a spirit of trust if you are prepared and we have prepared well. "
But the closure was a surprise and had a negative impact on the workers who are preparing for the event, McCabe said.
"Morale is at its lowest level in 13 years with the FAA," he said. "It's absolutely terrible – everyone in this building seems to have lost their best friend," he said. "It's already pretty stressful."
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