Air controller staffing shortages add to potential travel delays

As travelers head to the airport for the holiday weekend, they can look forward to meeting many, many fellow travelers — Denver International Airport expects a 9.4% boost from last Memorial Day. 

Perhaps less welcome are the chance of delays and cancellations due to weather, technical issues and circumstances both within and outside of airlines’ control are inevitable.

But there’s something newish to watch for: Delays attributed to a shortage of air traffic controllers.

On Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration “briefly paused departures from certain airports to Denver International Airport” and cited “controller staffing” as the cause, according to an FAA statement. Only arrivals to DIA were affected. Normal operations resumed at 9 a.m.,…