Copyright The Boston Herald
Delays and cancellations are expected to cause a “massive disruption” as Thanksgiving air travel approaches and the government shutdown prevents air traffic controllers from getting paid, warned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Sunday. “As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, listen, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” said Duffy on Fox News Sunday. “I think we’re going to see air traffic controllers, very few of them coming to work. Which means, yes, you’ll have a few flights taking off and landing at our different airports across the country, but the thousands of flights that happen every day to move people around the country for this great American holiday, it’s not going to happen.” The Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight cuts at the U.S.’s busiest airports last week, as the longest-ever government shutdown continues to keep air traffic controllers from getting paid and more stop coming into work. The secretary’s comments come as delays and cancellations skyrocketed to their highest peaks in the U.S. on Sunday. Cancellations within, into or out of the U.S. hit over 2,300 as of 6 p.m. Sunday, according to the tracker website FlightAware, smashing the total of over 1,500 cancelled Saturday and only about 1,000 cancelled Friday. Delays in U.S. flights hit over 8,300 as of Sunday evening, compared to the more than 7,500 delayed Saturday and just over 7,000 Friday, FlightAware data showed. The flight cuts started at 4% but are scheduled to go up to 6% on Tuesday and 10% on Nov. 14, Duffy said. They may increase up to 20% as Thanksgiving approaches, the administration has indicated. The cuts are in effect from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time and impact all commercial airlines. “You’re going to have massive disruption,” said Duffy on Sunday. “I think a lot of angry Americans, and I think we have to be honest about where this is going. It doesn’t get better, it gets worse, until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid. Of air traffic controllers, the secretary said on CNN previously that “up to 15 or 20 a day are retiring.” The government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history, hit its 39th day on Sunday. Duffy was asked about calls to release any safety risk assessment or related data the FAA’s decision to cut flights was based on to Congress. “We’re now looking at the data,” said Duffy, not stating whether he would release any report or data to Congress. “We see an increase in a loss of separation. Airplanes are in the sky. They’re becoming too close to each other. They’re breaching that safety distance.” The Transportation Secretary cited “ground incursions” and “more complaints from pilots,” saying “we look at that in total and say this is going in the wrong direction.” “And this was the right decision, by the way,” Duffy argued. “Those who say this is political, this decision to reduce capacity by 10%; it didn’t come from me; it didn’t come from the White House. It came from the safety team in the FAA.” The recommendation was sent from the FAA team to the administration, Duffy said, calling it “appropriate to keep the flying public out of harm’s way.” Asked if he would support efforts to change the law to allow air traffic controllers to be paid during a shutdown, like a suggestion to take money out of Congress’s paychecks, Duffy said “if we can find a way to pay air traffic controllers, I want to do that as well.” The Transportation Secretary did not state how the administration could do so. “In the end, I’m not going to have many tools left in my toolbox,” said Duffy. “It’s only going to get worse. And again, we try to minimize the risk, but when we do that, flights are delayed and canceled.” In Massachusetts, a Massport spokesperson said there “have been cancellations, and passengers seem to have enough notice from airlines” on Sunday. Total cancellations at Boston Logan Airport on Sunday reached 91 as of 6 p.m., up from 47 on Saturday and 43 on Friday, according to FlightAware data. Delays reached 332 as of Sunday evening, also well up from 239 on Saturday and 241 on Friday.
