In brief
With the ongoing U.S. government shutdown, airlines have been forced to cancel thousands of flights, causing extensive delays and disruptions for travelers. Air traffic controllers, who have not been paid, are increasingly calling in sick, exacerbating the crisis. The Senate has taken initial steps toward reopening the government, but experts warn that the air travel situation may worsen as the holiday season approaches.
NEW YORK (AP) — Travelers in the U.S. are bracing for more chaos at airports as the government shutdown becomes a protracted standoff in Congress. Recent data indicates that airlines canceled over 1,500 flights on Saturday and more than 2,900 on Sunday in response to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandate to cut back on air traffic.
This is compounded by an ongoing crisis affecting air traffic controllers who, after nearly a month without pay, are beginning to call out sick in alarming numbers. As a result, the airlines have already canceled around 1,600 flights for Monday and nearly 1,000 for Tuesday.
The Senate has made a tentative move toward resolving the shutdown, but the road to final agreements appears lengthy, with experts cautioning that operations in air travel sectors may take time to stabilize even after a resolution is achieved.
As of now, major airports in cities like Newark, Orlando, Chicago, and Detroit are reporting departure delays of over an hour. Aviation unions, representing air traffic controllers, are poised to make their voices heard, with the head of the union, Nick Daniels, scheduled to hold a press conference to discuss the impacts of the shutdown on air safety.
With another pay period approaching without compensation for air traffic controllers, the potential for even more cancellations looms large. The FAA has mandated a 4% reduction in flights as a stop-gap to manage the situation, with predictions that this could escalate to 10% or more by the coming weekend.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Sunday that if the shutdown continues, reductions could approach 20%. He pointed out that the crisis has been building for years but has reached a critical point where air traffic emerges doubly strained amid the potential for controller retirements fueled by the ongoing financial stress.
As the busy holiday season approaches, the situation calls for urgent attention. Duffy warned that if the current trends continue unchecked, air travel could collapse toward a “trickle” by Thanksgiving week, escalating concerns for millions of Americans dependent on air travel for the holidays.
