A top Trump aide has warned that one in five flights could be canceled if the government shutdown drags on, with airport turmoil already spreading nationwide.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday that flight cancellations could spike to 20 percent if the government isn’t reopened soon, with the shutdown now dragging into its 38th day.
‘If this shutdown doesn’t end relatively soon, the consequence is that more controllers don’t come to work,’ he told Fox News. ‘I don’t want to see that.’
As of 6pm Friday, nearly 1,500 flights had been canceled, with a staggering 4,576 delays within, into or out of the US, according to Flight Aware data.
The economic impact of the mandated cuts is said to be ‘far worse’ than expected, experts say.
‘If the air travel thing goes south for another week or two,’ National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett told Fox Business, ‘you could say that they would have at least a near-term downturn.’
The Federal Aviation Association started cuts today, slashing 4 percent of routes at the nation’s busiest airports.
The reductions, which impact all commercial airlines, will ramp up to 10 percent by Friday next week.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday that flight cancellations could spike to 20 percent if the government isn’t reopened soon, with the shutdown now dragging into its 38th day
As of 6pm Friday, nearly 1,500 flights had been canceled, with a staggering 4,576 delays within, into or out of the US
Neil Lyon, who must fly from New Mexico to Houston for a cancer-related surgery early next week, faces uncertainty as Houston Hobby Airport – his planned departure point – is among 40 hubs cutting flights.
‘It’s just adding what is unnecessary stress to a situation that’s already filled with legitimate stress,’ Lyon told CNN.
He and his wife have frantically lined up several backup plans – moving their flight up a day early and even booking a second ticket to Austin, with plans to drive the rest of the way to Houston if needed.
But with hundreds of flights grounded and FAA staffing stretched thin, the couple has resigned themselves to making the 12-hour drive to Houston should both flights be canceled.
‘What I’m worried about is getting to Houston in time for a procedure that’s been scheduled for quite some time and there’s some urgency,’ Lyon told the outlet.
‘I’m dealing with this, and I’m just thinking about the tens of thousands, or millions, who are dealing with other really serious circumstances that are impacted by what the situation is,’ he added.
‘I’m frustrated for myself, and I’m frustrated for millions of other people.’
This is a breaking news story.