No Fly Zone? Flight Cancellations & Delays Worsen Amid Longest Government Shutdown In U.S. History

Roommates, if you have a flight coming up this week, you might want to double-check its status! The pain (and irritation) Americans are facing at airports across the country is expected to worsen. And it all depends on whether Congress reaches a deal to reopen the federal government! Forty-one days later, the U.S. is in the middle of the worst government shutdown in the country’s history.

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Airports Cancel Over 2,000 Flights To Kick Off The Week 

According to the Associated Press, U.S. airlines canceled more than 1,500 flights Saturday and more than 2,900 Sunday to comply with an FAA order to reduce traffic. Why? Some air traffic controllers have stopped showing up for work after going unpaid for nearly a month. As of early Monday (November 10), airlines had already canceled almost 1,600 flights for the day and nearly 1,000 for Tuesday.

Many airports are facing significant delays for flights that haven’t been canceled as well. According to FlightAware, airports in Newark, Orlando, Chicago, and Detroit are all facing departure delays of more than an hour and increasing.

How Is The Government Shutdown Related To Travel Issues?

The Senate took a first step toward ending the shutdown on Sunday (November 9). However, the final passage could still be several days away and experts have said it will take time for flights to go back to normal even after the government reopens.

How is this related to flight delays and cancellations? Well, this is the second pay period that air traffic controllers have not received any pay for their work. The head of the air traffic controllers union, Nick Daniels, will hold a press conference Monday morning to address the impact the shutdown is having on them.

Travel Chaos Expected To Worsen As Airport Workers Go Without Pay

Delays and cancellations are likely to get worse. At this time, airlines are increasingly unable to reposition planes, pilots and flight attendants due to the air traffic controller shortage. As a result, the FAA implemented a 4% mandatory reduction in flights this weekend to manage staffing. That will increase to 6% on Tuesday and reach a 10% reduction by this upcoming weekend. While 4% may not sound like a lot, much of that reduction is happening at 40 of the nation’s busiest and most congested airports.

The FAA says the flight reduction is necessary to keep travelers safe. Many of the remaining controllers have been working long hours and mandatory overtime, despite the government’s unfunded status. Meanwhile, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on ‘Fox News Sunday’ that additional flight cuts of up to 20% might be needed.

“More controllers aren’t coming to work day by day, the further they go without a paycheck,” Duffy said.

For clarity, the government has been short of air traffic controllers for years. Additionally, multiple presidential administrations have tried to persuade retirement-age controllers to remain on the job. Duffy said the shutdown has intensified the problem, leading some air traffic controllers to speed up their retirements.

If not addressed soon, the situation could worsen as the U.S. heads into the busy holiday travel season. Duffy said that air travel may “be reduced to a trickle” by the week of Thanksgiving.

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AP Business Writer Ken Sweet and AP writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Rio Yamat contributed to this report via AP Newsroom.