U.S. airlines will have to cut hundreds more flights next week if Congress can’t come to a solution to end the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history.
Trump administration officials this week ordered airlines to start cutting flights at 40 busy U.S. airports on Friday, blaming “increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers.”
Late Friday, Senate Republicans rejected a Democrat proposal to reopen the government.
Air traffic controllers, along with airport security screeners, are required to work during the shutdown without receiving their regular paychecks. Federal workers will miss their second full paycheck on Monday, according to their union. Some controllers have taken second jobs to make ends meet, union officials have said.
On Saturday, 931 U.S. flights were canceled out of 25,375, according to aviation-data firm Cirium. That share of cancellations was on par with severe thunderstorms, which can be disruptive, though they’re routine. Cirium said Friday that it ranked as the 72nd worst since Jan. 1, 2024.
