Flight cancellations and delays worsen as government shutdown drags on

Airports crossed the U.S. are experiencing important disruptions owed to the ongoing authorities shutdown

NEW YORK -- The symptom Americans are facing astatine airports crossed the state is expected to get worse this week if Congress is incapable to scope a woody to reopen the national government.

U.S. airlines canceled much than 1,500 flights Saturday and much than 2,900 Sunday to comply with an FAA bid to trim traffic arsenic immoderate aerial postulation controllers, who person gone unpaid for astir a month, person stopped showing up for work.

As of aboriginal Monday, airlines had already canceled astir 1,600 flights for Monday and astir 1,000 for Tuesday.

The Senate took a archetypal measurement toward ending the shutdown Sunday, but last transition could inactive beryllium respective days distant and experts person said it volition instrumentality clip for flights to spell backmost to mean adjacent aft the authorities reopens.

Many airports are facing important delays for flights that haven’t been canceled arsenic well, with airports successful Newark, Orlando, Chicago and Detroit each facing departure delays of much than an hr and increasing, according to FlightAware.

This is the 2nd wage play that aerial postulation controllers person not received immoderate wage for their work. The caput of the aerial postulation controllers union, Nick Daniels, volition clasp a property league Monday greeting to code the interaction the shutdown is having connected them.

The delays and cancellations are likely to get worse arsenic airlines are progressively incapable to reposition planes, pilots and formation attendants owed to the aerial postulation controller shortage.

The FAA implemented a 4% mandatory simplification successful flights this play to negociate staffing. That volition summation to 6% connected Tuesday and 10% simplification by this upcoming weekend. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said connected “Fox News Sunday” that further formation cuts of up to 20% mightiness beryllium needed.

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

The authorities has been abbreviated of aerial postulation controllers for years, and aggregate statesmanlike administrations person tried to transportation retirement-age controllers to stay connected the job. Duffy said the shutdown has exacerbated the problem, starring immoderate aerial postulation controllers to velocity up their retirements.

While 4% whitethorn dependable modest, overmuch of that simplification is happening astatine 40 of the nation’s busiest and astir congested airports. The FAA says the formation simplification is indispensable to support travelers harmless arsenic galore of the remaining controllers person been putting successful agelong hours and mandatory overtime portion the authorities remains unfunded.

If not addressed soon, the concern could get adjacent worse arsenic the U.S. heads into the engaged vacation question season. Duffy said that aerial question whitethorn “be reduced to a trickle” by the week of Thanksgiving.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves and Kevin Freking contributed to this study from Washington. Associated Press writer Rio Yamat contributed from Las Vegas.

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