US flight delays, cancellations accelerate as air traffic controller shortages surge

WASHINGTON: Hundreds of thousands of travelers had their flights delayed or canceled on Sunday in the worst day for disruptions since the start of a US government shutdown, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of worse to come in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday.

Airlines canceled more than 2,800 US flights and delayed more than 10,200 on Sunday in the third day of government-mandated flight cuts due to rising air traffic control staffing shortages, after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday.

The government shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks.

“It’s only going to get worse... the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle,” Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union” program.

Millions of people usually travel in the run-up to Thanksgiving, one of the most important US holidays, which this year falls on November 27.

“Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly if this thing doesn’t open back up,” Duffy said.

The US Senate voted to advance a bill to end the government shutdown late on Sunday, sending shares of US carriers up before the bell on Monday.

United Airlines led gains with a 1.9% rise in premarket trading, followed by Delta and American Airlines , both up 1.4% while Alaska Air rose 1 percent.

But if the Senate eventually passes the bill, the package still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days. Duffy has said he does not plan to rescind the flight cuts until controllers begin returning to work and safety data improves.

DAILY FLIGHTS CUT

The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting on Friday at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. Reductions in flights are mandated to reach 6 percent on Tuesday and then hit 10% by November 14.

American Airlines urged quick approval of the Senate bill, noting that for 40 days “federal aviation workers haven’t been paid and our customers have endured thousands of delays and cancellations due to the government shutdown.”

Many airlines have already planned their cancellations for the coming days. United Airlines, for example, will cut 190 flights on Monday and 269 on Tuesday, the company said.