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A top Trump aide has warned that one in five flights could be canceled if the government shutdown drags on, with airport turmoil already spreading nationwide. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday that flight cancellations could spike to 20 percent if the government isn’t reopened soon, with the shutdown now dragging into its 38th day. 'If this shutdown doesn’t end relatively soon, the consequence is that more controllers don’t come to work,' he told Fox News. 'I don’t want to see that.' As of 6pm Friday, nearly 1,500 flights had been canceled, with a staggering 4,576 delays within, into or out of the US, according to Flight Aware data. The economic impact of the mandated cuts is said to be 'far worse' than expected, experts say. 'If the air travel thing goes south for another week or two,' National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business, 'you could say that they would have at least a near-term downturn.' The Federal Aviation Association started cuts today, slashing 4 percent of routes at the nation's busiest airports. The reductions, which impact all commercial airlines, will ramp up to 10 percent by Friday next week. Neil Lyon, who must fly from New Mexico to Houston for a cancer-related surgery early next week, faces uncertainty as Houston Hobby Airport - his planned departure point - is among 40 hubs cutting flights. 'It’s just adding what is unnecessary stress to a situation that’s already filled with legitimate stress,' Lyon told CNN. He and his wife have frantically lined up several backup plans - moving their flight up a day early and even booking a second ticket to Austin, with plans to drive the rest of the way to Houston if needed. But with hundreds of flights grounded and FAA staffing stretched thin, the couple has resigned themselves to making the 12-hour drive to Houston should both flights be canceled. 'What I’m worried about is getting to Houston in time for a procedure that’s been scheduled for quite some time and there’s some urgency,' Lyon told the outlet. 'I’m dealing with this, and I’m just thinking about the tens of thousands, or millions, who are dealing with other really serious circumstances that are impacted by what the situation is,' he added. 'I’m frustrated for myself, and I’m frustrated for millions of other people.' Friday brought widespread disruption to all 40 major airports, including those in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, DC. Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said even if the government reopens soon, the chaos at airports could continue for a while. He told CNN controllers are quitting 'every day' thanks to the Trump-era shutdown, blasting the government for using them as political pawns - yet thousands still show up to 'do the job' despite the uncertainty. 'We know the problems are going to get worse. They're going to increase, and anything that helps improve safety, we 100 percent stand by ensuring the safety of the American flying public,' he told the outlet. Hundreds of FAA workers are unpaid, worn out, and some are taking second jobs or calling in sick amid the funding lapse, according to BBC News. 'We are going to do everything we can, but what we can't do is somehow, suddenly put money in our own pocket,' Daniels added. 'We need Congress to open the government to do that.' On top of that, the situation is driving young people away from the profession entirely. Duffy warned that the shutdown is wreaking havoc on recruitment, with countless air traffic controller positions still unfilled. 'This makes it more difficult to get the best and the brightest young people to sign up to be air traffic controllers,' Duffy told Fox. 'And, again, after the shutdown is over and everyone stops covering it, I’m going to be the one that’s still dealing with trying to get young people in to take these great jobs,' he added. Sheri Perry, whose husband has tagged along on more than a dozen Red Cross deployments, fears volunteers won’t be able to respond quickly to the next disaster, as reported by CNN. 'This is hurricane season and it could be the drop of the hat when there’s another disaster,' she told the outlet. With flight boards across the country constantly updating with delays and cancellations, some travelers are stretching their pockets thin by doubling up on flights. Choreographer Lewis McClendon, 33, was set to fly from Miami to Baton Rouge on Friday when he got word that his connecting flight was canceled. Delta rebooked him, but that flight was canceled later that same evening. 'For all my flights within the US, I’m just booking two flights per location,' McClendon told CNN, adding that he has already spent more than $1,800 on buying extra plane tickets. 'Thankfully, I’m able to financially afford that but I just can’t imagine other people in this situation that could not afford that option,' he added. Airlines for America, an air trade association, said they are working to comply with the mandated flight cuts but mitigating the widespread disruption is proving nearly impossible, according to BBC. 'More than 3.5 million passengers have experienced delays or cancellations because of air traffic control staffing concerns since the shutdown began,' the group said in a statement. 'This simply is not sustainable,' it added. The air trade group pleaded with Congress to act 'with extreme urgency' to end the shutdown, warning that 'time is of the essence' with Thanksgiving just around the corner. A growing union representing 55,000 flight attendants across the US is also calling for Congress to act immediately, citing rising concerns that aviation worker safety is at risk. Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, said in a statement: 'The only way aviation keeps moving during a shutdown is because air traffic controllers and TSA officers come to work without getting paid, while everyone who supports their work for our safety and security is sent home without pay.' 'Flight Attendants are on the front lines of aviation safety. We count on federal workers being able to do their jobs without distraction. End this shutdown NOW,' she added, according to BBC. Nelson warned that flight attendants are on the front lines when travel goes wrong, saying bluntly, 'Without air travel, the country stops.' 'Safety is not a political game,' she said. 'Recent events in aviation should sober us all and redirect an urgent call to work together to keep Americans safe.' This is a breaking news story.
