• Source:JND
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American Airlines pilots aboard a commercial jet mistakenly thought someone was trying to breach the cockpit on Monday, leading the flight to return to the Omaha airport less than 40 minutes after departing for Los Angeles.

The misunderstanding on American Airlines Flight 6469 came about because the intercom that pilots and flight attendants use to speak to each other had been left on by accident, an American Airlines spokesperson said.

The pilots heard some static sound over this intercom and they mistakenly thought it meant someone was trying to break in.

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The flight was operated by SkyWest, which flies regional routes for American and other airlines. The plane was an Embraer ERJ 175, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware.

The Omaha Airport Authority said there was no security-related incident at the airport.

FAA says US air traffic control staffing issues cause more flight delays

The Federal Aviation Administration said late Sunday that air traffic control staffing issues were delaying travel at airports in Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta and Newark as a U.S. government shutdown hit its 19th day.

The FAA said numerous staffing triggers had been received for the evening shift and flights could also be delayed in Las Vegas and Phoenix because of air traffic control absences.FlightAware said more than 5,800 flights had been delayed on Sunday. Weather issues and a Formula 1 race in Austin were also impacting flights.

More than 20 per cent of American Airlines and Southwest Airlines flights were delayed Sunday, according to FlightAware.

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Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers must work during the government shutdown, but are not being paid.

Earlier this month, more than 23,000 flights were delayed over a week and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said 53 per cent of flight delays were due to staffing issues, compared with 5% normally, but staffing issues have largely improved over the last week.

Air traffic control has become a flashpoint in the debate over the shutdown with both parties blaming the other. Unions and airlines have urged a quick end to the standoff.

(With inputs from agency) 

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