US airlines’ daily cancellations exceed 2,700 as shutdown impact extends

WASHINGTON AP U S airlines canceled more than flights on Sunday as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air traffic across the nation would slow to a trickle if the federal executive shutdown lingered into the busy Thanksgiving progress holiday season The slowdown at of the nation s busiest airports began to cause more widespread disruptions in its third day The FAA last week ordered flight cuts at the nation s busiest airports as particular air traffic controllers who have gone unpaid for nearly a month have stopped showing up for work In addition nearly flight delays were released on Sunday alone according to FlightAware a website that tracks air advance disruptions More than flights were canceled Friday and more than on Saturday The FAA reductions started Friday at and were set to increase to by Nov They are in effect from a m to p m local time and will impact all commercial airlines Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta stood to have the the majority cancellations Sunday followed by Chicago O Hare International where wintry weather threatened In Georgia weather could also be a factor with the National Weather Amenity office in Atlanta warning of widespread freezing conditions through Tuesday Traveler Kyra March ultimately arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson on Sunday after a series of postponements the day before I was coming from Tampa and that flight got delayed delayed delayed Then it was canceled and then rebooked And so I had to stay at a hotel and then came back this morning she disclosed The FAA stated staffing shortages at Newark and LaGuardia Airport in New York were leading to average departure delays of about minutes Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Michigan was mostly empty Sunday morning with minimal wait times at protection checkpoints as delays and cancellations filled the departures and arrivals boards Earlier Sunday Duffy warned that U S air traffic could decline significantly if the shutdown persisted He declared additional flight cuts perhaps up to might be needed particularly if controllers receive no pay for a second straight pay period More controllers aren t coming to work day by day the further they go without a paycheck Duffy stated Fox News Sunday And he prepared Americans for what they could face during the busy Thanksgiving holiday As I look two weeks out as we get closer to Thanksgiving advance I think what s going to happen is you re going to have air journey slow to a trickle as everyone wants to expedition to see their families Duffy explained With very limited controllers working you ll have a limited flights taking off and landing and thousands of cancellations he disclosed You re going to have massive disruption I think a lot of angry Americans I think we have to be honest about where this is going It doesn t get better Duffy mentioned It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid The leadership has been short of air traffic controllers for years and multiple presidential administrations have tried to convince retirement-age controllers to remain on the job Duffy reported the shutdown has exacerbated the complication leading several air traffic controllers to speed up their retirements Up to or a day are retiring Duffy stated on CNN Duffy revealed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth texted him with an offer to lend military air traffic controllers but it s unclear whether the staff is certified to work on civilian systems Duffy denied Democratic charges that the flight cancellations are a political tactic saying they were necessary due to increasing near-misses from an overtaxed system I needed to take action to keep people safe Duffy commented I m doing what I can in a mess that Democrats have put in my lap Airlines for America a exchange group representing U S carriers revealed air traffic control staffing-related delays exceeded hours on Saturday the highest of the shutdown and that staffing problems contributed to of delay time From Oct to Nov controller shortages have disrupted more than million passengers on U S carriers according to Airlines for America