Topline
Over 6,600 flights were delayed and more than 1,900 canceled in the United States on Sunday as the government shutdown’s impact on air travel grows more significant ahead of the holidays.
Hundreds of flights out of major airports were delayed Sunday, including in New York, Chicago and Atlanta.
AFP via Getty Images
Key Facts
The largest number of outright cancellations happened at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as of Sunday afternoon, which saw 270 flights delayed and 178 flights canceled outright by shortly after 3 p.m. EST.
Delays also throttled traffic at New York City’s regional airports, with 227 delays at Newark (39% of flights), 262 at LaGuardia (49% of flights) and 148 at John F. Kennedy (22% of flights).
Chicago’s airports also saw significant delays and cancellations—over 400 flights were delayed at O’Hare by Sunday afternoon, while 70 were delayed at Midway.
Other airports with significant delays included Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (219 delays, or 47% of flights) and Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. (104 delays, or 23% of flights).
Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday morning, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the delays were “only going to get worse” in the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, one day after the federal government recorded 81 staffing triggers—the highest on a single day during the shutdown.
Key Background
Earlier last week, the Federal Aviation Administration announced it would reduce traffic at major airports by 10% as the ongoing government shutdown forces air traffic controllers to go without paychecks. The traffic reductions began Friday with a 4% cut, and are set to expand until Nov. 14. Air traffic controllers are set to miss their second paycheck in a row on Tuesday.