Flight cancelations to worsen next week if shutdown continues

U.S. airlines will have to cut hundreds more flights next week if Congress can’t come to a solution to end the government shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history.

Trump administration officials this week ordered airlines to start cutting flights at 40 busy U.S. airports on Friday, blaming “increased reports of strain on the system from both pilots and air traffic controllers.”

Air traffic controllers, along with airport security screeners, are required to work during the shutdown without receiving their regular paychecks. Federal workers will miss their second full paycheck on Monday, according to their union. Some controllers have taken second jobs to make ends meet, union officials have said.

On Saturday, 931 U.S. flights were canceled out of 25,375, according to aviation-data firm Cirium.

Under the FAA’s order, the flight cuts will increase to 6% of schedules, 8% by Thursday and 10% next Friday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News on Friday that cuts could at some point reach up to 20% of schedules, though he didn’t elaborate.

Airlines waived date-change fees for travelers on affected flights and noted they can also request a refund. Airline executives said that many customers were being rebooked on other flights, while the last-minute changes sent others scrambling for alternative arrangements. Hertz, for example, said on Thursday, when the FAA made its flight-cut announcement, that one-way car rentals jumped 20% over the same two-day period a year earlier.

Delays were also on the rise, with 2,156 late flights, according to FlightAware. Air traffic control staffing shortages on Saturday prompted delays at airports including San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

This story is developing. Please check back for updates.