"Air traffic in the U.S. could "slow to a trickle" if the federal government shutdown lingers into the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday season, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday. The Federal Aviation Administration last week ordered flight cuts at the nation's busiest airports as some air traffic controllers, who have gone unpaid for nearly a month, have stopped showing up for work."
""As I look two weeks out, as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what's going to happen is you're going to have air travel slow to a trickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families," Duffy said. With "very few" controllers working, "you'll have a few flights taking off and landing" and thousands of cancellations, he said."
Air traffic in the U.S. faces significant disruption if the federal government shutdown continues and air traffic controllers remain unpaid. The FAA ordered flight reductions at the nation's busiest airports beginning at 4% and rising to 10% by Nov. 14, affecting all commercial airlines between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Thousands of cancellations already occurred, including 1,375 on Sunday and over 1,500 on Saturday. Officials warn additional cuts, potentially up to 20%, may be required if controllers miss another pay period. With very few controllers working, massive disruptions and widespread cancellations are expected during peak travel days.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
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