Copyright NBC 5 Chicago
As travelers brace for more flight cancellations at U.S. airports, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that if a government shutdown continues much longer "we're not going to get to Thanksgiving." Speaking live at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Duffy said this weekend could mark the start of a massive disruption in air travel. "I don't want to be Chicken Little for you all. I'm going to give you what I see. So if the government doesn't open, if the House doesn't do its job ... I'm going to tell you we are not going to get to Thanksgiving." The Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, but the bill still needs to clear the House and final passage could be days away. According to Duffy, beginning Friday and continuing into the weekend, "massively more disruption" is expected if the shutdown continues. "[Air travel] is going to radically slow down," he said, noting that more than 10% of flights could be canceled into the weekend. "I think we might find airlines that have to make decisions," he added. "Do they keep flying? If this doesn't open, you might have airlines that say, 'We're gonna ground our planes. We're not going to fly anymore.' That's how serious this is." Local Duffy's remarks come on the same day busy U.S. airports were told to meet a higher Federal Aviation Administration target for reducing flights. Many have already canceled thousands to scale back demands on the nation’s aviation system during the government shutdown. Even if the government reopens, Duffy said a timeline to return to normal air travel remained unclear. He noted flight cuts will continue until the FAA sees safety metrics improve after staffing levels stabilize at its air traffic control facilities. "We're going to wait to see the data on our end before we take out the restrictions in travel -- that's 6% we have in place right now -- but it depends on controllers coming back to work," Duffy said. Absences and signs of stress among traffic controllers, who haven't been paid in over a month, made it imperative to cut flights in the name of public safety, the FAA said, ordering domestic airlines last week to drop 4% of their flights at 40 major U.S. airports. After already canceling more than 7,900 since Friday, the goal for cutting flights rose to 6% on Tuesday and again to 10% later this week. Nearly 1,200 flights were canceled Tuesday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions. The Chicago Department of Aviation reported 125 flight cancellations at O'Hare Airport as of 11:30 a.m. Tuesday. It was unclear exactly how many additional flights would need to be canceled for the day, but there are fewer flights scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Severe weather is adding to the cancellations at some airports, including Chicago, where a winter system impacted several Monday. O'Hare Airport has already seen ground delays and ground stops in recent days due to staffing issues, including on Monday, which saw a more than 12-hour delay program in place. The FAA also warned that staffing at over a dozen towers and control centers could delay planes departing for Phoenix, San Diego, the New York area and Houston, among other cities. In addition, the FAA expanded its flight restrictions Monday, barring business jets and many private flights from using a dozen airports already under commercial flight limits. Many planes also aren’t where they’re supposed to be, which could slow the airlines’ return to normal operations even after the FAA lifts the order, said Mike Taylor, who leads research on airports and airlines at J.D. Power. It's unclear how quickly controllers might be paid once the shutdown ends — it took more than two months to receive full back pay after the 35-day shutdown that ended in 2019, said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. President Donald Trump took to social media on Monday to pressure controllers to “get back to work, NOW!!!” He called for a $10,000 bonus for those who’ve stayed on the job and suggested docking pay for those who haven’t. Daniels said the shutdown has made controllers’ demanding jobs even more stressful, leading to fatigue and increased risks. He said the number who are retiring or quitting is “growing” by the day.
