Flight Disruptions Mount As Shutdown Drags On

Flight delays and cancellations are piling up. It’s going to get worse, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Key Points

• Over 2,500 flights were canceled and 8,900 flights were delayed by Sunday evening because of the 40-day federal government shutdown.
• Delta Air Lines canceled 521 (15%) of its daily flights, while Southwest Airlines canceled 162 flights and delayed 1,684 (39%) flights.
• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated that 15 to 20 air traffic controllers are retiring daily, up from four before the shutdown.

The number of flight cancellations and delays jumped this weekend, as the longest-ever federal government shutdown stretched into its 40th day.

More than 2,500 flights into and out of U.S. airports had been canceled by 6 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday, including hundreds of flights at Newark Liberty and LaGuardia International Airports in the NYC area, Chicago O’Hare International, and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, according to FlightAware.com flight-tracking site.

Hartsfield-Jackson is also a major Delta Air Lines hub, and Delta canceled 555, or 16% of its daily flights, and delayed 1,073, or 30% of its flights on Sunday. Southwest Airlines canceled 164 flights, or 3% of its flights, and delayed 1,766 flights, or 41% of its flights, according to FlightAware.

It’s only going to get worse, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. “What’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle,” he told Fox News Sunday, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.

“As everyone wants to travel to see their families, 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,” Duffy told Fox.

“You’re going to have massive disruption. I think a lot of angry Americans.”

Southwest has notified travelers on its website that it made reductions in its flight schedule through Nov. 12 as required by aviation regulators, and that customers whose flights were canceled have been automatically rebooked. Customers can also rebook or travel standby without paying change fees, or request a method-of-payment refund – even for non-refundable fares.

American Airlines posted a notice saying that because of the shutdown and widespread air traffic control staffing shortages “we are seeing widespread delays and cancellations across the country — in addition to the cancellations resulting from the FAA directive.” American is notifying affected travelers and is issuing travel waivers to provide extra flexibility.

United Airlines said that because of shutdown-related flight restrictions, “Our schedule changes for today through Tuesday, November 11 are now in place.” United is telling passengers to check their flight status to see if their flight is affected, and that anyone flying between Nov. 6 and 13 can request a refund or reschedule for free.

Delta said it is temporarily reducing flights at 40 U.S. airports to comply with federal directives, and that cancellations have been completed through Tues., Nov. 11. It is telling passengers to check their flight status or explore options to change or cancel flights without penalty.

About 8,700 flights were delayed on Sunday by 6 p.m., according to FlightAware. That brings the number of flights canceled since Friday to more than 5,000, while the number of delays for the weekend is above 23,000.

Thousands of air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration officers, and other federal airport workers are continuing to show up for work, despite not having been paid since Sept. 30.

The Federal Aviation Administration is reporting flight delays at Newark, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy, Chicago O’Hare, Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, Westchester County in New York, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Sarasota Bradenton, and Southwest Florida airport in Fort Myers.

Adverse weather is also exacerbating flight conditions, with Detroit Metropolitan, Minnesota-St. Paul, and Akron-Canton Airport deicing planes on Sunday.

Duffy, who had ordered commercial flights to be cut by up to 10% starting Friday because of ongoing staffing issues, told CNN’s State of the Union that about 15 to 20 air traffic controllers are retiring every day, up from four ATCs a day before the shutdown.

Duffy also said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had offered to help, telling Duffy in a text that military reservists trained as air traffic controllers could step in. “ ‘If you could use them, I’m going to offer them to you.,’” Duffy told CNN about what the text said.

But Duffy added he wasn’t certain they could step in. “They’re not certified in the airspaces that we need them,” he said. “But if I can, I’m going to use them.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association union couldn’t be reached for comment.

Separately, Sen. James Lankford (R, Okla.) told NBC’s Meet the Press that the government shutdown “absolutely needs to” end by Thanksgiving, when air travel volumes soar.

Write to Janet H. Cho at janet.cho@dowjones.com