US flight cancellations expected to drag on even after the government shutdown ends

The flight cancellations at airports across the U.S. are expected to persist even after the government shutdown ends.

The Federal Aviation Administration has reduced flights as some air traffic controllers — unpaid for weeks — have stopped showing up for work.

The Senate took a first step toward ending the shutdown Sunday, but final passage could still be several days away. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy made clear last week that flight cuts will remain in place until the FAA sees safety metrics improve. 

Over the weekend, airlines canceled thousands of flights to comply with the order to eliminate 4% of flights. The cancellations are scheduled to rise to 6% of all flights at 40 of the nation's busiest airports on Tuesday. By the end of the week, flight cancellations are scheduled to reach 10% of all flights at those airports.

Already, travelers are growing frustrated.

“All of this has real negative consequences for millions of Americans, and it’s 100% unnecessary and avoidable,” said Todd Walker, whose flight from San Francisco to Washington state was canceled over the weekend, causing him to miss his mom's 80th birthday party.

As of Monday morning, airlines had already canceled 1,600 flights for Monday and nearly 1,000 for Tuesday. International flights have not been affected.

Beyond the mandated cuts, flight delays have been rippling through airports nationwide at times ever since the shutdown began. That's because the FAA slows air traffic anytime it's short on controllers at one of its facilities to ensure flights remain safe.

Tuesday will be the second missed payday for air traffic controllers and other FAA employees. It's unclear how quickly they might be paid once the shutdown ends. The head of the controllers union, Nick Daniels, plans a news conference Monday morning to address the shutdown's toll.

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

The government has struggled for years with a shortage of air traffic controllers, and Duffy said the shutdown has worsened the problem, prompting some controllers to retire early or quit. Before the shutdown, Duffy had been working to address the shortage by hiring more controllers, speeding up training and offering bonuses to retain experienced controllers.

Duffy warned over the weekend that if the shutdown drags on, the situation could deteriorate further as the U.S. heads into the busy holiday travel season. He said air travel may “be reduced to a trickle” by the week of Thanksgiving.

Picture Courtesy: AP Photo/Adam Gray