The US government shutdown, which began on October 1st, has caused multiple problems for air travellers across the US. And now airlines are warning that even if the shutdown ends, flights will not resume. More than 5 million people have already faced flight cancellations and delays due to this crisis.
The Senate passed a bill on Monday night to end the US shutdown, and the House now needs to vote on it. But the airline and some government officials say that the situation would not get better immediately after the shutdown ends. Transportation Secretary Saint said they need to see the controllers coming back to work before lifting air travel restrictions.
Why Flights are Getting Cancelled
Air traffic controllers and people were responsible for guiding planes’ safety through the sky. During the shutdown period, these controllers were working without getting paid. They missed full paychecks already. Many controllers are stressed and tired of the situation, and they have left their jobs to find other ones.
Because so many controllers are not working anymore, AirPods can’t handle the normal number of flights. Last Friday, the government told airlines to cut 4% of their flights at 40 busy airports in America. On Tuesday, about 5% of all flights were cancelled. On Monday, it got to 8.7% flight cancellation, and Sunday saw 10.2% cancellation in total. The lack of a flight controller has made flying very difficult in the US. Longer delays and cancellations have forced multiple travellers to look for ways to travel.
Airlines Need Time
Airline for America, a group that is a spokesperson for major airlines like Southwest, United, Delta, and American, explained that flights cannot return to normal in just one night. Need proper time to organise their schedules, move the aeroplanes to the right airport, and make sure all the crew members are working in the right places.
With Thanksgiving coming in just two weeks, this is a huge worry. Aviation groups say a record number of people planned to travel for a holiday, and if the flights are not continued, then millions of travellers would be facing serious issues.
What Happens Next
President Donald Trump told the air traffic controller to get back to work immediately. He even said that he would recommend a $10,000 bonus for controllers who worked during the shutdown. The secretary Duffy supported this idea and shared some numbers as well. Before the shutdown, about four controllers retired every day. But now, 15 to 20 controllers are retiring on a daily basis. America is already short of 2000 controllers.
Once the shutdown ends, Duffy said controllers will get about 70% of their delayed payment within two days. But it took 2 1/2 months for workers to get all their money back after the 2019 shutdown.
Aviation groups are also asking Congress not just to end the shutdown but to provide the payment for the Department of Transportation. They require funding to hire more controllers and improve air traffic control systems with new technology.
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