Flight cancellations were again worsening on Monday as air traffic controller shortages worsened by the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown snarled air travel coast to coast.
Air traffic controllers on Monday missed their second paycheck of the shutdown, though they are still required to work. Some of them have taken second jobs to make ends meet, government and union officials have said.
A sign of how severe air travel disruptions have become in the government shutdown: Sunday’s 2,631 U.S. flight cancellations, 10% of the schedule, marked the 4th worst day since January 2024, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.
In comparison, on Friday morning, as Trump administration-mandated flight cuts took effect, cancellations ranked 72nd since the start of last year.
The Senate made progress overnight on a deal that could end the shutdown, but it has not yet approved a funding bill.
