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Airlines delayed 1,700 flights on Tuesday, down from

previous

days

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Air traffic control shortages have improved

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FAA is about 3,500 controllers short of targeted staffing

levels

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Airlines canceled 1,200

flights on Tuesday as air traffic control staffing improved

significantly ahead of an expected end to a record-setting

government shutdown as soon as Wednesday.

After airlines canceled 2,400 flights and delayed 9,600 on

Monday, airlines delayed just 1,700 on Tuesday, the best

performance for the industry in recent days.

Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration instructed

airlines to cut 4% of daily flights starting on Friday, November

7, at 40 major airports because of air traffic control staffing

issues. Reductions in flights rose to 6% on Tuesday.

Flight reductions were set to hit 8% on Thursday and 10% on

Friday, November 14. Airlines and the FAA are in discussions

about when and how the cuts will be reduced and eventually

eliminated as a record-setting 42-day government shutdown nears

an end.

On Monday, President Donald Trump threatened to dock the pay

of any controller who did not return to work and would welcome

the resignations of workers who were not diligent in showing up

for work.

Some airlines are holding off on cutting 8% of flights for

Thursday. United Airlines said Tuesday it has cut about

5% of Thursday flights.

Several options are being discussed for how the FAA might

end or shrink the flight cuts, sources told Reuters.

Air traffic control staffing shortages improved dramatically

on Tuesday after more than two dozen issues on Monday.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said just four staffing

issues were reported Tuesday, down from 81 Saturday.

Duffy said at a press conference at Chicago O'Hare that he

will reduce flight cuts as safety allows.

"When that data changes, we're going to start taking that

down from 6%, maybe we'll go to four, two, and get back to

normal air travel," Duffy said. "It depends on controllers

coming back to work."

On Monday night, the Senate voted to approve legislation to

end the shutdown and fund the government through January 30. The

House is set to take it up on Wednesday.

Duffy said that if the House did not approve the bill that

flight disruptions could skyrocket this weekend and some major

airlines might not keep flying. "That's how serious this is,"

Duffy said.

Air traffic absences have led to tens of thousands of flight

cancellations and delays since October 1 when the shutdown

began. Over the weekend, 1.2 million passengers were delayed or

had their flight cancellations due to air traffic controller

absences.

The shutdown, the longest in U.S. history, has forced 13,000

air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security

Administration agents to work without pay.

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

targeted staffing levels. Many had been working mandatory

overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.