America's holiday travel plans are hitting severe turbulence as flight cancellations pile up at major airports due to the persistent government shutdown that has left air traffic controllers high and dry, as the Associated Press reports.
Across the nation, airports are grappling with escalating delays and cancellations, a crisis tied to unpaid controllers and worsened by a federal shutdown, with disruptions set to linger even after a resolution.
This mess started brewing as the shutdown kicked in, leaving air traffic controllers without pay for nearly a month and forcing many to skip shifts due to stress or side gigs.
Over the weekend, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) axed thousands of flights, complying with an order to cut 4% of operations at the busiest hubs, though the ripple effects have thrown entire schedules out of whack.
On Sunday alone, 10% of flights nationwide were grounded, marking one of the worst days for cancellations this year, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Monday saw another 1,600 flights scrapped, with nearly 1,000 more canceled for Tuesday, as the FAA tightens restrictions, even barring business jets and private flights from a dozen major airports.
The pain isn’t stopping -- cancellations are slated to climb to 6% of flights at 40 key airports on Tuesday, ballooning to 10% by week’s end.
Tuesday also marks the second missed paycheck for controllers and other FAA staff, with no clear timeline on when back pay might come, especially given it took over two months during the 2019 shutdown.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that safety metrics must improve before flight cuts ease, and with the holiday travel rush looming, a prolonged shutdown could grind air travel to a halt.
Controllers are in a dire spot -- some can’t afford childcare so that they can still show up to work, while others are moonlighting as delivery drivers or even selling plasma to make ends meet.
The shortage of controllers, a longstanding issue the government has struggled to fix, is getting worse as more retire early or quit, a trend Duffy had been tackling with hiring pushes and bonuses before this crisis hit.
President Donald Trump weighed in with a blunt demand on social media, saying, “get back to work, NOW!!!” While his frustration mirrors that of stranded travelers, it sidesteps the harsh reality of unpaid workers juggling impossible choices.
Trump also floated a $10,000 bonus for controllers who’ve stuck it out daily while docking pay for those absent -- a carrot-and-stick approach that sounds tough but might not fix a system already cracking under pressure.
As Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, put it, the number of controllers retiring or quitting is “growing by the day.” His words underscore a grim truth: this isn’t just a policy spat; it’s a safety erosion that flyers depend on without even knowing it.
The Senate took a tentative step toward reopening the government on Sunday, but a final deal could still be days away, leaving travelers and controllers alike in limbo as the busy season approaches. While political posturing drags on, Duffy’s stark warning that air travel could “be reduced to a trickle” by Thanksgiving week looms large. Let’s hope common sense prevails before we’re all grounded for good.
