*

Transportation secretary cites air traffic controller

shortages,

says more expected

*

Flight delays and cancellations rise during government

shutdown

*

FAA says ground delay programs issued on Sunday at major

airports

(Recasts paragraphs 1-4 with new figures on flight delays)

By Idrees Ali and David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Oct 26 (Reuters) - More than 8,000 flights

were delayed across the U.S. on Sunday as air traffic controller

absences continued to disrupt travel and a federal government

shutdown reached its 26th day.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the

Federal Aviation Administration experienced air traffic control

staffing issues at 22 locations on Saturday, and added

additional shortages were expected to lead to more flight delays

and cancellations in the days ahead.

According to FlightAware, a flight-tracking website, there

were more than 8,000 U.S. flight delays by 11 p.m. ET on Sunday

(0400 GMT on Monday), an increase from about 5,300 on Saturday.

Delays have often been above average since the government

shutdown began on October 1.

Southwest Airlines ( LUV ) had 45%, or 2,000 flights delayed

on Sunday, while American Airlines ( AAL ) had nearly 1,200, or

a third of its flights delayed, according to FlightAware. United

Airlines had 24%, or 739 flights, delayed and Delta Air

Lines ( DAL ) had 610 flights, or 17%, delayed.

Some 13,000 air traffic controllers and about 50,000

Transportation Security Administration officers must work even

though they are not being paid during the shutdown.

Increased air travel delays and cancellations are being

closely watched as observers look for indications that the

shutdown is making life harder for Americans. That, in turn,

could pressure lawmakers to break the budget deadlock that led

to the shutdown.

The FAA on Saturday had 22 "triggers" that indicated

shortages of air traffic controllers, Duffy told the Fox

News "Sunday Morning Futures" program. He said the figure was

"one of the highest that we've seen in the system" since October

1.

"That's a sign that the controllers are wearing thin," Duffy

said.

The FAA said ground delay programs had been issued because

of staffing shortages on Sunday at Chicago's O'Hare Airport,

Washington's Reagan National Airport and Newark Liberty

International Airport. An earlier ground stop was issued at Los

Angeles International Airport, but that was later withdrawn.

The Trump administration has warned that flight disruptions

will increase as controllers miss their first full paycheck on

Tuesday.

Air traffic controllers received a paycheck two weeks ago at

90% of their regular pay. But Tuesday's payday would have been

for their first pay period solely for work in October.

Controllers facing the prospect of missing a federal

paycheck are looking for other sources of income, Duffy said.

"They're taking second jobs, they're out there looking," he

said.

The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of

targeted staffing levels and many had been working mandatory

overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.

In 2019, during a 35-day shutdown, the number of absences by

controllers and TSA officers rose as workers missed paychecks,

extending wait times at some airport checkpoints. Authorities

were forced to slow air traffic in New York and Washington.

Duffy and other Republicans have criticized Democrats for

opposing a "clean" short-term funding bill with no strings

attached. Democrats have criticized President Donald Trump and

Republicans for refusing to negotiate over health care subsidies

that expire at the end of the year.