Flight Delays Pile Up As Government Shutdown Enters Second Month

As nan authorities shutdown nears its 2nd month, airports crossed nan state are emotion its impact, pinch formation delays piling up because of staffing shortages.

This play saw nan astir difficult recreation conditions yet astatine dozens of American airports, wherever lines of disappointment travelers appeared endless. More than 5,000 flights walking from and to U.S. airports were delayed Sunday alone. As nan shutdown drags on, much delays and cancellations tin beryllium expected, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Air postulation controllers, who are relied connected to coordinate craft wrong nan airspace and are required to activity arsenic basal workers during a authorities shutdown, person been moving without pay. Duffy said he wants them to return to work, adding that those who do not will person a disappointing paycheck astatine nan extremity of nan week.

"None of them tin miss 2 paychecks," Duffy said connected CNBC's "Squawk Box" connected Monday. "They each commencement — their location finances autumn apart, and they’re each going to person to look astatine taking 2nd jobs aliases quitting and getting into different statement of work. And nan consequence of that is very existent for our aerial system."

Duffy underscored nan dire request for aerial postulation controllers, adding that nan strategy is short anyplace from 2,000 to 3,000 controllers.

"I’m trying to put much aerial postulation controllers into nan system," he said.

On Monday morning, much than 900 flights walking within, to and retired of U.S. airports were delayed, and much than 430 were canceled, according to FlightAware.com. John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport relationship for astir of it, pinch much than 110 delays and 16 cancellations betwixt them.

It is not instantly clear if staffing shortages straight caused nan delays and cancellations Monday.

The unpredictable formation schedule has disappointment travelers. Many are questioning nan information of aerial recreation if power towers are not afloat staffed.

Duffy said delays and cancellations are an effort to make aerial recreation safer.

"You'll spot much delays, you'll spot much cancellations of flights, and that’s because we slow postulation down because we don’t person capable controllers successful nan towers and TRACONs to make judge we tin navigate nan flights," he said, referring to terminal radar attack power facilities. "So, that’s a instrumentality that we person to support nan strategy safe."

If aerial recreation was unsafe, nan Transportation Department would "shut nan full airspace down," Duffy said.

"We won’t fto group travel," he said. "We’re not location astatine this point. It’s conscionable important delays."