Summary
The U.S. government shutdown is causing significant delays and cancellations for airline passengers across the country. President Donald Trump is urging air traffic controllers to return to work, with promises of payment for those who continue working without pay. There are concerns about ongoing staffing shortages affecting flight schedules.
Key Facts
- The U.S. government shutdown is affecting air travel, causing many delays and cancellations.
- Delays are averaging over an hour at major airports like New York's LaGuardia and around 44-46 minutes at others, like Chicago O'Hare.
- On Thursday, there were 1,700 flight cancellations and over 5,000 delays in the U.S.
- Airlines for America says that over four million passenger travel plans were disrupted since the shutdown began on October 1.
- President Trump ordered air traffic controllers to return to work, threatening pay cuts for those who do not comply.
- Staffing shortages have reached 20-40% of air traffic controllers not showing up, with the worst day recorded over a weekend.
- The FAA is reducing flights by several percentages at major airports due to safety concerns.
- Some general aviation operations at major U.S. airports have been suspended.
