Duffy Warns of 'Mass Chaos' in Skies if Shutdown Continues
Major Airlines, Aviation Unions and the Travel Industry Have Been Urging Congress to End Shutdown as Soon as Possible
[Stay on top of transportation news: .]
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted Nov. 4 that there could be chaos in the skies next week if the government shutdown drags on and air traffic controllers miss a second paycheck.
There have already been numerous delays at airports across the country — sometimes hours long — because the Federal Aviation Administration slows down or stops traffic temporarily anytime it is short on controllers. Last weekend saw some of the worst staff shortages and on Nov. 2, flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey were delayed for several hours.
MORE: US Air Travel Delays Stack Up as Shutdown Strains Staffing
Duffy and the head of the air traffic controllers union have both warned that the situation will only get worse the longer the shutdown continues and the financial pressure continues to grow on people who are forced to work without pay. FAA employees already missed one paycheck Oct. 28. Their next payday is scheduled for Nov. 11.
“Many of the controllers said, ‘A lot of us can navigate missing one paycheck. Not everybody, but a lot of us can. None of us can manage missing two paychecks,’” Duffy said. “So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos. You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it because we don’t have air traffic controllers.”
Nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working without pay for weeks, ensuring the safety of more than 50,000 daily operations across the national airspace system (NAS).
As we head into this weekend, a surge in callouts is straining staffing levels at multiple… — The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews)
Most of the flight disruptions so far during the shutdown have been isolated and temporary. But if delays become more widespread and start to ripple throughout the system, the pressure will mount on Congress to reach an agreement to end the shutdown.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the travel industry have been urging Congress to end this shutdown as soon as possible by voting to support the clean funding resolution that Republicans have proposed.
The U.S. Travel Association said in a letter to congressional leaders this week that the economy has already lost more than $4 billion because of the shutdown, and the industry worries the impact will get significantly worse if the shutdown continues into the holiday travel season.
“With Thanksgiving, the busiest travel period of the year, imminently approaching, the consequences of a continued shutdown will be immediate, deeply felt by millions of American travelers, and economically devastating to communities in every state,” the U.S. Travel Association said.
Tim Bauer of Eaton's Mobility Group discusses the evolution of ADAS and its growing impact on trucking.Tune in above or by going to .
Normally, airlines strive to have at least 80% of their flights depart and arrive within 15 minutes of when they are scheduled. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that since the shutdown began Oct. 1, the total number of delays overall has not fallen significantly below that goal because most of the disruptions so far have been no worse than what happens when a major thunderstorm moves across an airport.
But on Nov. 2, only about 56% of Newark’s departures were on time, and the Orlando airport hit a mark of 70%, according to Cirium.
As of midday Nov. 4, there have been 1,932 flight delays reported across the United States, according to FlightAware.com. That is lower than what is typical, although the FAA did say that flights in Phoenix were being delayed Nov. 4 because of staffing shortages.
Want more news? Listen to today's daily briefing belowor go here for more info:
