Thousands of flights delayed, cancelled as shutdown rocks airports

By Dan McCaleb
The Center Square

More than 1,400 flights within, into or out of the U.S. were cancelled Sunday and more than 3,300 were delayed as staffing levels at airports worsen in the second month of the federal government shutdown.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said air travel will only worsen as the shutdown drags on and as air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration workers go unpaid for a sixth consecutive week. In an interview Sunday morning with CNN, Duffy said air traffic could slow “to a trickle” as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.

“It’s only going to get worse,” Duffy said. “I look to the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle.”

Duffy ordered the largest U.S. airports to begin reducing flights last week as the industry strains for lower staffing levels. The reductions in flights are to reach 10% by Nov. 14 but could increase to 15% or 20% of all flights as the holiday approaches.

According to flightaware.com, 1,846 flights were cancelled and an additional 3,347 were delayed Sunday as of noon eastern.

At Newark Liberty International, 19% of flights were cancelled and 28% were delayed, according to Flight Aware; at New York’s LaGuardia, 6% were cancelled and 16% were delayed; at Chicago O’Hare, 4% were cancelled and 17% delayed; at Detroit Metro Wayne, 7% were cancelled and 27% were delayed; at San Diego International, 6% were cancelled and 28% delayed.