US airlines canceled 1,460 flights the second day the Federal Aviation Administration ordered flight restrictions across the country, and thousands of flights were delayed, adding to travel concerns as air traffic controller absences increased amid a federal government shutdown, Reuters reported.
The agency on Saturday highlighted major problems with air traffic control personnel that affected 37 airport towers and other hubs and delayed flights in about 12 major US cities, including Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco, Chicago and New York.
Almost 6,000 flights were delayed on Saturday, 7,000 on Friday and 1,025 were cancelled.
As of Friday, the FAA ordered airlines to cut 4% of daily flights at 40 major airports due to air traffic control safety issues. The flight delays come as the shutdown has reached a record 39 days, resulting in a shortage of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks.
Flight reductions are expected to rise to 6% on Tuesday and then touch 10% by November 14.
The FAA was called on Saturday to enforce delay programs at nine airports due to the absence of air traffic, which caused average flight delays of 282 minutes at Atlanta, one of the busiest airports in the US.
The flight cancellations began at 6 a.m. (ET) Friday and include nearly 700 flights from the four largest airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
Those airlines canceled nearly the same number of flights as required by the FAA on Saturday, but were forced to cancel additional flights due to problems with air traffic control personnel.
This week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20 to 40% of controllers were absent from work due to unpaid fees from previous days.
Who is to blame?
Senator Ted Cruz blamed the shutdown on air traffic control concerns during a debate in the US Senate on Friday. Cruz, the Republican nominee and chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said he was told that since the shutdown began, pilots have filed more than 500 voluntary safety reports about errors made by air traffic controllers due to fatigue.
On Saturday, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said bipartisan talks to end the shutdown had taken a positive turn, but the workday ended with no agreements announced. The Senate is set to try again in a rare session on Sunday.
During the government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screening workers were forced to work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism.
On Thursday, several air traffic controllers were told they would receive no compensation next week for a second straight pay period. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it is possible to reduce air traffic by 20% if more controllers are absent.
