US flight delays, cancellations accelerate as air traffic controller shortages surge

Hundreds of thousands of travelers had their flights delayed or canceled on Sunday in the worst day for disruptions since the start of a U.S. government shutdown, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of worse to come in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday, Reuters reported. 

Airlines canceled more than 2,800 U.S. flights and delayed more than 10,200 on Sunday in the third day of government-mandated flight cuts due to rising air traffic control staffing shortages, after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday, according to Reuters.

The government shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks.

The U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill to end the government shutdown late on Sunday. But if the Senate eventually passes the bill, the package still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days, Reuters reported.

Some 1,550 flights were canceled and 6,700 were delayed on Saturday, up from 1,025 cancellations and 7,000 delayed flights on Friday.