Flight Delays in the U.S. Are About to Get Much Worse

Roughly 6.6% of flights in the U.S. were delayed on Thursday due to absences from air traffic controllers, according to Reuters. That’s only a little worse than the average, which sits at 5%. But it’s about to get much worse, if history is any guide. Previously, that number has hit 53% in previous government shutdowns.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy held a press conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Friday to raise the alarm about what the days and weeks ahead could look like at the nation’s airports. Air traffic controllers, like most government employees, aren’t getting paid right now due to the government shutdown, which started Oct. 1.

Paychecks that went out 10 days ago included about 90% of what a typical air traffic controller is usually paid, according to Duffy, because most of that time period covered work done in September. But paychecks scheduled for this coming Tuesday are going to be $0. And that means a lot more air traffic controllers are likely to call out sick, a common thing seen during prior government shutdowns as workers are frustrated that they’re not getting paid.

“As I’ve traveled around to talk to the controllers, there’s great frustration,†Duffy said. “There’s anxiety because as any one of you, you look at the expectation that a paycheck comes in and then you plan for that, and you pay your mortgage, you pay your car payment, you put food on the table.â€

“As these controllers come to work, they have to pay for babysitters, child care. There’s a whole host of bills that Americans have that they anticipate that paycheck is going to come in, so they can meet those bills. The stress level that our controllers are under right now, I think, is unacceptable.â€

Republicans control both the Senate and House but need Democratic votes to reopen the government, and there’s no end in sight for the shutdown. Democrats say they want Republicans to address the massive health care cuts that they imposed over the summer with the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. The bill, celebrated by President Donald Trump, was a massive handout to the wealthy, delivering what’s expected to be $114 billion in tax cuts to those making over $1 million per year in 2027 alone.

During the press conference, Duffy repeated the lie that Democrats are trying to pay for health care for “illegal immigrants.†Democrats are trying to get funding restored for Medicaid, which includes 1.4 million legal immigrants who are losing their coverage. Health care coverage is about to become a much bigger problem for millions of Americans as rates are set for the coming year. The Washington Post published a new article on Friday that explains how average premiums for Obamacare are expected to rise 30% next year if nothing is done, meaning 17 million Americans will see their costs rise substantially. Employer-provided plans are also expected to rise.

Republicans have refused to negotiate on the shutdown, instead pledging that if Democrats just help reopen the government, they’ll address health care later. But that’s obviously not something Democrats believe will actually happen, given the Trump regime’s history of lying about every issue, big and small.

The U.S. already has a shortage of air traffic controllers, about 2,000 to 3,000 short, according to Duffy. And these kinds of disruptions aren’t great for recruitment and retention. People typically want to work at a place with some stability, to say nothing of just getting paid for the work that they do. Duffy has previously threatened to fire about 10% of the air traffic controllers if they call out sick.

Duffy has said that he doesn’t want air traffic controllers to get second jobs, like driving for Uber, but for workers living paycheck-to-paycheck, that almost becomes a necessity when you’re not getting paid for the job that you’re performing for the federal government.

The Transportation Secretary stressed that he’s not worried about safety at America’s airports because if things aren’t safe, they slow down. That’s the reason that delays happen when there aren’t enough air traffic controllers.

“If we have controllers that are more stressed and less able to do the job, we pay close attention to that and we will reduce the capacity of airplanes taking off and landing, or we will cancel flights,†said Duffy. “And so you can and very well may see delays in the system, but that’s because our priority is you getting from point A to point B and getting there safely. I’m less concerned about you getting there on time. I want you to be safe.â€

But if the shutdown continues, and there’s been no sign that it will end anytime soon, American travelers can expect significant delays ahead.