Copyright The Oregonian
Airlines canceled another 19 flights through Portland International Airport on Monday, as the federal government shutdown continues to weigh on air travel all across the country. Congressional Republicans and Democrats struck a deal Sunday to reopen the government but it will take time for their agreement to move through the Senate and then to win approval in the House of Representatives. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most have stayed on the job but some are taking on other work to generate income, leaving fewer people to staff the control towers. Monday’s 19 canceled flights represented a little more than 4% of all the flights in and out of PDX scheduled for the day. It wasn’t clear how many of the cancelations were due to the government shutdown and how many of them airlines canceled for other reasons. Airlines canceled 27 Portland flights on Sunday, according to updated figures from the Port of Portland, which runs PDX. Some airports have had far more cancelations. The New York Times reported that some East Coast airports had canceled 15% or more of their flights last weekend, and Delta Air Lines canceled 11% of its flights. The Federal Aviation Administration has warned that cancelations will increase if the shutdown persists, potentially reaching 10% nationwide by the end of the week. Here’s a list of Monday’s cancelations at PDX, as of 10 a.m.:
