Flight Cancellations Surge Amid U.S. Government Shutdown

More than 2,700 flights were canceled on Sunday, November 9, as the ongoing government shutdown continues to disrupt airports nationwide. The impact has been severe, with 10% of flights cancelled across 40 of the country’s busiest airports, and further disruptions are expected as the busy Thanksgiving travel season approaches.

According to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled Friday (November 7) and more than 1,500 on Saturday (November 8).  10,000 flight delays were reported on Sunday (November 9) alone, the most disruptions on a single day since the U.S. government shutdown began October 1.

The chaos is happening after air traffic controllers, who are not getting paid during the shutdown have stopped showing up for work. The U.S Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered flights to stop at the country’s busiest hub Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta which had the most cancellations with 570 on Sunday, and Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, which had 265. Other airports affected include main airports in Boston, Denver, Honolulu, Las Vegas, Miami, San Francisco and Salt Lake City. A full list can be found here.

The FAA said staffing shortages at Newark and LaGuardia Airport in New York were leading to average departure delays of about 75 minutes.

In an article on CBC News, the Associate Press reports that U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy Duffy says the flight cancellations are not a political tactic, and are necessary due to increasing near-misses from an overtaxed system.

“I needed to take action to keep people safe,” Duffy said. “I’m doing what I can in a mess that Democrats have put in my lap.”

Capt. Jason Ambrosi, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int’l (ALPA), repeated his request to leaders in Washington to take the necessary steps to reopen the government as aviation workers continue to bear the brunt of inaction.

“For weeks, air traffic controllers and thousands of other federal aviation workers have been suffering as a result of the gridlock in Washington,” Ambrosi said in a statement. “With the Federal Aviation Administration’s announcement of measures to slow air traffic, the consequences will extend beyond federal workers and impact passengers and cargo shipments. It’s time to reopen the government.

“Our country depends on safe air travel. This shutdown is adding unnecessary risk to the safety of our skies and places an unbearable burden on the frontline workers who protect us every day. Everyone should agree aviation safety is non-partisan, political leaders must find a way to end the shutdown now.”

So far controller shortages have disrupted more than four million passengers on U.S. carriers, according to Airlines for America.