Topline
Over 7,700 flights were delayed and nearly 2,300 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 323 flights delayed and 192 flights canceled by shortly before 5 p.m. EST.
Delays also throttled traffic originating at New York City’s regional airports, with 299 at LaGuardia (56% of flights), 236 delays at Newark (40% of flights) and 204 at John F. Kennedy (31% of flights).
Chicago’s airports also saw significant delays and cancellations—over 500 flights originating at O’Hare were delayed by Sunday afternoon, while 81 were delayed at Midway.
Other airports with significant delays included Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (244 delays, or 52% of flights) and Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. (134 delays, or 30% 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.
