Additional Coverage:
Airport Chaos Mounts as Government Shutdown Drags On
Nationwide flight delays are escalating as the government shutdown enters its second month, with staffing shortages at airports reaching critical levels.
This past weekend witnessed the most severe travel disruptions to date across dozens of American airports. Thousands of frustrated travelers faced endless lines, with over 5,000 flights to and from U.S. airports delayed on Sunday alone.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported screening nearly 2.7 million people nationwide, underscoring the immense pressure on the system. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that further delays and cancellations are inevitable as the shutdown persists.
A major contributing factor to the escalating crisis is the unpaid status of air traffic controllers. These essential workers, responsible for coordinating aircraft within national airspace, are legally required to work during a government shutdown but are currently doing so without pay. Secretary Duffy urged their return to work, stating that those who do not will face a “disappointing paycheck” at week’s end.
“None of them can miss two paychecks,” Duffy stated on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Monday. “Their home finances fall apart, and they’re all going to have to look at taking second jobs or quitting and getting into another line of work. And the consequence of that is very real for our air system.”
Duffy emphasized the severe shortage of air traffic controllers, estimating a deficit of 2,000 to 3,000 professionals within the system. “I’m trying to put more air traffic controllers into the system,” he added.
Monday evening saw an additional 2,885 flights within, to, and out of U.S. airports delayed, with 70 cancellations, according to FlightAware.com. Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, John F.
Kennedy International Airport, and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport accounted for the majority of these disruptions, collectively experiencing over 900 delays and 35 cancellations. While it remains unclear if staffing shortages were the direct cause of all Monday’s disruptions, recent data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) strongly suggests a correlation.
According to the DOT, staffing issues were responsible for 84% of total delay minutes on Sunday, 59% on Saturday, and 64.8% on Friday. This marks a dramatic increase from pre-shutdown levels, where only 5% of delays from January to September 2025 were attributed to staffing.
The White House released a statement Monday, placing blame for the government shutdown and subsequent air travel chaos squarely on Democrats. “Americans are paying the price for Democrats’ sick political games as air travel grinds to a halt amid the Democrat-driven chaos,” the statement read.
Travelers, facing unpredictable flight schedules, are expressing growing frustration and questioning the safety of air travel with understaffed control towers. Secretary Duffy, however, asserted that delays and cancellations are a deliberate measure to enhance safety.
“You’ll see more delays, you’ll see more cancellations of flights, and that’s because we slow traffic down because we don’t have enough controllers in the towers and TRACONs to make sure we can navigate the flights,” he explained, referring to terminal radar approach control facilities. “So, that’s a tool that we have to keep the system safe.”
Duffy further assured the public that if air travel were deemed unsafe, the DOT would “shut the whole airspace down.” “We won’t let people travel,” he concluded.
“We’re not there at this point. It’s just significant delays.”