Duffy warns of travel disruptions as air traffic controllers face missed paycheck

Air traffic controllers will miss their first paychecks next week due to the ongoing government shutdown, and that will likely have consequences for travelers, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Thursday.Why it matters: Travelers have already seen disruptions at airports plagued by staffing shortages, and Duffy warned the situation could worsen. Air travel was paralyzed during the 2019 shutdown.Driving the news: "I can't guarantee you that your flight is going to be on time," Duffy said at a Thursday briefing beside House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and GOP lawmakers. "I can't guarantee you that your flight's not going to be canceled."He added, "It's going to depend on our air traffic controllers coming in to work every single day."Tuesday, Oct. 28, will be the first day controllers will not receive pay for the work they did this month, Duffy said. Their last paycheck, which mostly covered work done in September, was already reduced.Duffy said those financial woes also risked deterring new recruits as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has worked to boost staffing.Flashback: During the last government shutdown, federal workers at the nation's airports increasingly missed work under the financial strain of missed paychecks. In response, the FAA had to limit flights at major airports.Threat level: "Eventually people are going to have to make human decisions," a current air traffic controller who wished to remain anonymous for fear of employer retribution told Axios.The controller guessed most will "hang on" for their first missed paycheck."The second one will likely be where people can't last any longer without money coming in," they said.Between the lines: Air traffic controller shortages and subsequent disruptions could ramp up the pressure on lawmakers to end the shutdown.Controller shortages, overwork and fatigue were already pressing issues before the funding lapse, and this piles onto existing safety concerns.What he's saying: "Safety is paramount for us, and so if we don't have the staffing levels in a tower, TRACON or center, you will see us delay traffic," Duffy said, referring to various types of ATC facilities. "You will see us cancel flights."He joined his fellow Republicans in blaming Democratic lawmakers for the shutdown at Thursday's conference. The lapse has seen a fiery messaging war play out as each side of the aisle frames the shutdown as the other's doing.What we're watching: Johnson told reporters that while the White House has diverted funds to pay troops and fund a food aid program (methods Democrats have said are illegal), "there is not an existing pot of money that could cover the air traffic controllers' salaries."Go deeper: Federal workers erupt over latest White House threat to withhold their pay

Comments

World news

Some furloughed workers will return to manage health insurance open enrollment as shutdown drags on

Global News

If Trump’s East Wing demolition shocks you, check out what he did to priceless works meant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

about 3 hours ago

Independent

Photos reveal shocking destruction of East Wing as crews work to make way for Trump’s ballroom

about 3 hours ago

Independent

‘Quarterbacks,’ ‘face cards’ and spy tech: How the Mafia allegedly teamed up with NBA stars to rip off high-stakes poker games

about 3 hours ago

Musk's rollercoaster year: From boycotts and plunging earnings to a potential trillion-dollar payday

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Elon Musk takes another shot at Transport Secretary Sean Duffy over NASA role: ‘He need moar brainz!’

Air traffic controllers who duck unpaid work during the gov't shutdown could be fired, Duffy warns

World news

Some furloughed workers will return to manage health insurance open enrollment as shutdown drags on

Former B.C. correctional officer charged with breach of trust

California union proposes taxing billionaires to offset Medicaid cuts

Mother-son duo share Glenrose Courage Award after rebuilding life in Edmonton

Series of fall storms to bring heavy rain, strong winds to parts of B.C.

Alberta teen already in custody accused of more terrorism, child porn offences

DC man who followed troops around playing Darth Vader theme sues over his arrest

Trump won’t go to Congress over war with drug cartels: ‘They’re gonna be, like, dead’

Website that promised to unmask Charlie Kirk critics took thousands after he died - then disappeared, report says

Search underway for piano teacher to Hollywood kids who slipped out of country after child sex abuse conviction

Driver was drunk when his Corvette slammed into another car at 135 mph and killed a 25-year-old woman, cops say

Cheeky crane advert boasts of speed and quietness after it was used in Louvre heist

The EU, U.S. Hit Russia Where It Hurts

Labour MPs urge Reeves to break party’s pledge not to raise income tax

NDP hopeful Ashton clarifies stance on tanker ban reversal but still gets nod from Danielle Smith

Carney and Ford say they’re on the ‘same page’ in U.S. trade talks

Nova Scotia’s premier wants to learn from Ontario’s nuclear power project

Trial of 3 Trail firefighters, charged with off-duty assault, set to go ahead

Oil prices spike after US, EU hit Russian oil companies with new sanctions

Melania Trump sued by author over alleged billion-dollar hush money threat

Winnipeg Blue Bombers set record with 14 consecutive home sell-outs

Joe Rogan has a bonkers idea for Trump to troll liberals with a new job after leaving the White House

Trump called off sending border agents to San Francisco after mayor’s phone call

David Ellison has ‘Trump card’ in Paramount’s pursuit to take over Warner Bros. Discovery

Live updates: NBA stars and Mafia among 30 arrested in massive sports betting and gambling probe

Watch those texts! Smartphones emerging as a new way for public figures to get into hot water

If Trump’s East Wing demolition shocks you, check out what he did to priceless works meant for the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Photos reveal shocking destruction of East Wing as crews work to make way for Trump’s ballroom

‘Quarterbacks,’ ‘face cards’ and spy tech: How the Mafia allegedly teamed up with NBA stars to rip off high-stakes poker games

Musk's rollercoaster year: From boycotts and plunging earnings to a potential trillion-dollar payday

States worry about how to fill the gap in food aid ahead of a federal benefits halt

As federal agents ramp up Chicago immigration crackdown, more elected officials caught in crosshairs

Tech CEO and guest on Bravo’s reality show ‘Below Deck’ is charged with murder in hit-and-run crash

Trump pardons Binance founder convicted on money laundering charges to end ‘war on crypto’

Will Trump’s Russia Oil Sanctions Finally Sway Putin?

Lithuanian president says Russian military planes violated the Baltic country's airspace

Trump's turnaround on sanctions targets Russia's oil companies that fund the war in Ukraine

South Korean delegation of lawmakers visits Cambodian site of alleged online scam ring

NATO scrambles warplanes as Russian jets breach European airspace AGAIN

The decades-old exemption that lets Trump fast-track White House rebuild

China names new second highest-ranking general after military purge

Watch: Video appears to show alleged Louvre jewel thieves escaping

NBA injuries, x-ray poker tables and the mafia: What we know about gambling arrests

No Russians or Belarusians at Winter Paralympics

A Mystery in Trinidad as Bodies Wash Ashore After U.S. Strikes

Trump Says Israeli Annexation of West Bank Land ‘Won’t Happen’

Trump pardons Canadian crypto billionaire serving money laundering sentence

Quebec government to ban religious symbols in daycares

Saskatchewan’s Duck Lake to sell naming rights to historic community

Rookie Trey Yesavage named Blue Jays’ starter for Game 1 of World Series

Nova Scotia car crash survivor inspires other teens, walks Paris Fashion Week

‘A predator’: Victims of Arturo Garcia Gorjon relive sex assaults at sentencing hearing

Ford will watch World Series from ‘man cave’ given ticket prices, predicts Blue Jays win

Part-time faculty on strike at two Halifax universities

NBA superstars and mafia among 31 arrested as part of major illegal gambling crackdown in United States

New Sam Adams ‘extreme beer’ is illegal in 15 states

Louvre thieves filmed making painfully slow getaway after whirlwind crown jewels heist

What does the Israeli proposal to annex the West Bank involve after JD Vance hits out at ‘stupid political stunt’

Trump called off sending border agents to San Francisco after mayor’s phone call

First half of this year had record-breaking price tag for U.S. climate and weather disasters