
Govt-related flight cuts create havoc for US travellers

As the United States government shutdown drags into record territory, travellers across the U.S. are being confronted with a new wave of flight disruptions with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), following orders from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, announcing flight reductions at 40 major airports. Underscoring the decision to scale back flights is a severe shortage of air traffic controllers. Due to the protracted government shutdown over 13,000 controllers and 50,000 security screeners are working without pay. It’s understood that many have stopped showing up for work, choosing to take second [paying] jobs or skipping shifts because they can’t afford childcare. With the FAA was already short-staffed before the shutdown, the absentee rates have climbed above 30% at some airports. Duffy said safety concerns left him with no choice but to act. “We thought 10% was the right number based on the pressure we were seeing,” he said, adding that the cuts are “proactive” and have no set end date. According to aviation data firm Cirium, the reductions - starting at around 4% of flights and climbing to 10% - could potentially cancel up to 1,800 flights and 268,000 airline seats daily. Airports affect







