NEW YORK -- The pain Americans are facing at airports across the country is expected to get worse this week if Congress is unable to reach a deal to reopen the federal government.U.S.airlines canceled more than 1,500 flights Saturday and more than 2,900 Sunday to comply with an FAA order to reduce traffic as some air traffic controllers, who have gone unpaid for nearly a month, have stopped showing up for work.As of early Monday, airlines had already canceled nearly 1,600 flights for Monday and nearly 1,000 for Tuesday.The Senate took a first step toward ending the shutdown Sunday, but final passage could still be several days away and experts have said it will take time for flights to go back to normal even after the government reopens.Many airports are facing significant delays for flights that haven’t been canceled as well, with airports in Newark, Orlando, Chicago and Detroit all facing departure delays of more than an hour and increasing, according to FlightAware.This is the second pay period that air traffic controllers have not received any pay for their work.
The head of the air traffic controllers union, Nick Daniels, will hold a press conference Monday morning to address the impact the shutdown is having on them.The delays and cancellations are likely to get worse as airlines are increasingly unable to reposition planes, pilots and flight attendants due to the air traffic controller shortage.The FAA implemented a 4% mandatory reduction in flights this weekend to manage staffing.That will increase to 6% on Tuesday and 10% reduction by this upcoming weekend.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on “Fox News Sunday” that additional flight cuts of up to 20% might be needed.Popular ReadsGovernment shutdown updates: Senate vote marks step towards ending federal shutdownNov 9, 11:48 PMJustice temporarily pauses order requiring Trump admin to fully fund SNAPNov 7, 9:59 PMHurricane Melissa live updates: No official death toll in JamaicaOct 30, 10:54 PM�...