One number shows how hard the government shutdown has hit travel in the US's biggest flight hub

"Atlanta's airport, the busiest flight hub in the country, is struggling to stay afloat during the longest government shutdown in US history. In an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Sunday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that "18 of 22 controllers in Atlanta didn't show up" for work on Saturday."

""We had 81 staffing triggers throughout the national airspace yesterday - that means controllers weren't coming to work," Duffy said. "To answer your question, it's only going to get worse." He said that two weeks before Thanksgiving, air travel would be " reduced to a trickle" and people who want to go home to see their families might not be able to."

""Many of them are not going to be able to get on an airplane, because there are not going to be that many flights that fly, if this thing doesn't open back up," Duffy added. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport was the busiest airport in the world in 2024, serving more than 108 million passengers, according to a report by the Airports Council International. Hundreds of flights have been canceled across the country daily since Friday, after Duffy announced that he would be temporarily reducing flight traffic by 10% at 40 high-traffic airports in the US."

Staff shortages tied to the government shutdown have significantly reduced air traffic operations at Atlanta's airport. Eighteen of 22 controllers in Atlanta did not report for duty on Saturday, and there were 81 staffing triggers across the national airspace. The FAA temporarily cut flight traffic by 10% at 40 high-traffic U.S. airports as a proactive safety measure. Over a recent weekend the U.S. saw roughly 4,500 cancellations and more than 17,800 delays. Hartsfield-Jackson served over 108 million passengers in 2024, intensifying the impact of any operational cuts ahead of holiday travel.

Read at Business Insider