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Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that air travel will be significantly impacted by the ongoing government shutdown, which has entered its 41st day. Air Travel Will ‘Trickle,' Says Sean Duffy Speaking to Fox News in an interview on Sunday, Duffy highlighted how the shutdown, amid staffing shortages, will impact the Thanksgiving holiday travel. "As I look two weeks out, as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel… you're gonna have air travel slow to a trickle," Duffy said. He added that there could be a "massive disruption" to air travel as the shutdown continues. "We have done all we can to make sure we minimize disruption, that we keep the airspace safe," Duffy said. He added that the DoT was going to cut flights by 10% starting Friday next week as the shutdown continues. Pete Hegseth Offered Military Air Traffic Controllers Speaking to CNN's State of the Union on Sunday, Duffy said that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth offered him the Army ATCs. "I might have some air traffic controllers, if you could use them, I'm gonna offer them to you," Duffy said, quoting Hegseth's texts in the interview. He added that he wasn't sure if the DoT could use them as the ATCs weren't "certified in the airspaces that we need them." Duffy outlined that if necessary, he would use the military ATCs to "minimize the pain on Americans." Sean Duffy Slams ‘Schumer-Jeffries' Shutdown The comments follow Duffy’s warning that 46% of flight delays were a result of the government shutdown, which has affected the DoT's recruitment of new ATCs. "The damage from the Schumer-Jeffries shutdown is REAL and will be LONG-TERM," Duffy said, slamming the Democrats. American Airlines CEO Calls For An End To Shutdown The comments follow American Airlines Group Inc. (NASDAQ:AAL) CEO Robert Isom calling for an end to the shutdown. "This is frustrating. We don't need to be in this position. We've got to get the government back open so we don't have to cancel flights," Isom said. Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Read Next: Elon Musk Hints SpaceX Could Go Public Despite Downsides: ‘I Do Want Supporters To…' Photo courtesy: Joshua Sukoff / Shutterstock.com
