A 4% reduction in flights took effect Friday after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered the drop to ease stress on air traffic controllers.
Nov. 7 A 4% reduction in flights took effect Friday after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy ordered the reduction to ease stress on air traffic controllers during the federal government shutdown.
About 800 flights across 40 airports have been canceled today, but most passengers have been rebooked on other flights. There are still delays.
Control towers at several airports Friday are facing staffing shortages, including in San Francisco, Atlanta and others, CNN reported.
USA Today reported that Duffy told Democrats who criticized his decision to cut flights, « Open the damn government. »
The federal government has been closed since Oct. 1, and the shutdown is now the longest in history.
The staffing shortage is getting worse because air traffic controllers are quitting, said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, to CNN.
« Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown », Daniels said.
