**Airport Chaos Expected to Worsen Amid Ongoing Government Shutdown**
Americans are facing increasing pain at airports across the country, and the situation is expected to deteriorate further this week if Congress fails to reach a deal to reopen the federal government.
U.S. airlines canceled more than 1,500 flights on Saturday and over 2,900 flights on Sunday, complying with an FAA order to reduce traffic. This order comes as some air traffic controllers—who have now gone unpaid for nearly a month—have stopped showing up for work. As of early Monday, airlines had already canceled nearly 1,600 flights for Monday and almost 1,000 for Tuesday.
While the Senate took a first step toward ending the shutdown on Sunday, final passage could still be several days away. Experts caution that it will take time for airline operations to return to normal, even after the government fully reopens.
Many airports are experiencing significant delays for flights that have not been canceled. Airports in Newark, Orlando, Chicago, and Detroit are all facing departure delays of more than an hour and rising, according to FlightAware.
This marks the second pay period during which air traffic controllers have not received any pay. Nick Daniels, head of the air traffic controllers union, will hold a press conference Monday morning to address the impact the shutdown is having on controllers nationwide.
Delays and cancellations are expected to worsen as airlines become increasingly unable to reposition planes, pilots, and flight attendants due to the shortage of air traffic controllers. Over the weekend, the FAA implemented a 4% mandatory reduction in flights to manage staffing levels. That reduction will increase to 6% on Tuesday and escalate to a 10% cut by this upcoming weekend.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on “Fox News Sunday” that additional flight cuts of up to 20% might be necessary. “More controllers aren’t coming to work day by day, the further they go without a paycheck,” Duffy stated.
The government has been short of air traffic controllers for years, with multiple administrations attempting to persuade retirement-age controllers to remain on the job. Duffy warned that the shutdown has exacerbated the issue, pushing some controllers to speed up their retirements.
While a 4% reduction in flights might sound modest, much of it is affecting the nation’s 40 busiest and most congested airports. The FAA insists these reductions are necessary to keep travelers safe, as many remaining controllers are working long hours and mandatory overtime while the government remains unfunded.
If the shutdown is not resolved soon, experts fear the situation could worsen significantly as the U.S. heads into the busy holiday travel season. Duffy cautioned that air travel could “be reduced to a trickle” by the week of Thanksgiving if current trends continue.
https://abc7chicago.com/post/flight-cancellations-delays-worsen-government-shutdown-drags/18137224/
