Shutdown Strains U.S. Air Travel

A federal government shutdown is straining U.S. air travel as unpaid air-traffic controllers and TSA officers continue to work without pay. The Southwest Airlines Pilots Association urged lawmakers to pass a clean continuing resolution, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and industry officials warned missed paychecks, controller sick-outs, second jobs and rising overtime are producing longer security lines, staffing gaps and mounting delays at major hubs including Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas and Newark. Recent snapshots put disruptions at roughly 5,800 delayed commercial flights in a day and over 23,000 in a single week, with staffing shortages tied to a large share of delays. Weather and airline operational problems have compounded the situation — a recent wave caused about 63 cancellations and 3,500 delays, and United canceled scores of domestic and international flights. A study of the 60 largest U.S. airports found security-related incidents are rare but when they occur average 40–50 minutes and cluster at a handful of airports, raising concerns that the shutdown could severely strain holiday travel unless pay and funding are restored.