U.S. airlines canceled nearly 1,200 flights on Tuesday, marking the fifth consecutive day with over 1,000 cancellations due to mandatory flight reductions.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting November 7 at 40 major airports due to air traffic control staffing shortages, with reductions increasing to 6% on Tuesday, 8% on Thursday, and 10% on Friday.
Driving the news: Discussions between airlines and the FAA are ongoing regarding the timing and process to reduce and eventually lift the flight cuts as the 42-day government shutdown nears its end.
- The Senate voted Monday night to approve legislation to end the shutdown and fund the government through January 30, with the House scheduled to consider it on Wednesday.
- Since the shutdown began on October 1, tens of thousands of flights have been canceled or delayed due to air traffic control absences, affecting 1.2 million passengers over the recent weekend.
The big picture: On Tuesday, airlines also delayed over 1,300 flights after canceling 2,900 and delaying 9,600 flights the previous day, according to flight tracking site FlightAware.
- Air traffic control staffing issues improved on Tuesday, with just one reported staffing problem, compared to multiple issues Monday.
- President Donald Trump threatened pay docking for controllers not returning to work and said he welcomed resignations from workers unwilling to show up.
- The shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA agents to work without pay, while the FAA remains about 3,500 controllers short of target staffing, with many working overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.
