Flight chaos across US: 3 million passengers hit as govt shutdown snarls airports; Thanksgiving chaos looms

As the US government shutdown stretched into its 34th day, travel disruptions mounted across major airports, threatening to derail the Thanksgiving travel rush.

According to news agency Reuters, more than 3.2 million passengers have already faced flight delays or cancellations because of widespread absences among unpaid air traffic controllers.




The US Travel Association, in a letter to Congress signed by over 500 organisations, including Hilton and MGM Resorts, urged lawmakers to immediately reopen the government, warning that the shutdown’s impact on air travel could worsen in the coming days.

“Air travel’s number one priority is safety and while safety will be maintained, travellers will pay a heavy and completely unnecessary price in terms of delays, cancellations and lost confidence in the air travel experience,” said Geoff Freeman, president and CEO of the association, as cited by Reuters.

The ongoing shutdown has left around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers working without pay, severely straining airport operations nationwide.

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued ground delays in cities such as Dallas, Austin and Houston, while more than 2,900 flights were delayed on Monday alone.

According to CNBC, transportation secretary Sean Duffy said that while aviation safety remains intact, the situation is becoming untenable. “If we thought that it was unsafe, we’ll shut the whole airspace down. We won’t let people travel. We’re not there at this point. It’s just significant delays,” he said.

As per NBC News, over the weekend, more than 5,000 flights were delayed, with travellers enduring long security lines at major hubs like Chicago O’Hare, Newark, and Atlanta.

The department of transportation said 84% of total delay minutes on Sunday were due to staffing shortages, compared to just 5% before the shutdown.

United CEO Scott Kirby warned that the ongoing shutdown was impacting flight bookings and could shake passenger confidence ahead of the holiday travel season..

Freeman said the “damage from this shutdown is growing by the hour with 60% of Americans reconsidering their travel plans.”