*

Air traffic control staffing issues delay flights in 12

major US

cities

*

FAA imposes ground delay programs; Atlanta flights delayed

282

minutes

*

Transportation Secretary Duffy warns of potential 20% air

traffic cuts

(Recasts with new figures, adds update on Senate talks)

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON, Nov 8 (Reuters) - U.S. airlines canceled

1,460 flights on Day 2 of government-mandated flight cuts across

the country and thousands of flights were delayed, causing

mounting travel woes as air-traffic-controller absences spiked

amid the federal government shutdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday reported

major air traffic control staffing issues, impacting 37 airport

towers and other centers and delaying flights in at least 12

major U.S. cities -- including Atlanta, Newark, San Francisco,

Chicago and New York.

Some 6,000 flights were delayed on Saturday, down from

Friday when 7,000 were delayed and 1,025 were canceled.

The FAA had instructed airlines to cut 4% of daily

flights starting on Friday at 40 major airports because of air

traffic control safety concerns. The shutdown, which has now

reached a record 39 days, has led to shortages of air traffic

controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been

paid for weeks.

Reductions in flights are mandated to rise to 6% on Tuesday

and then hit 10% by November 14.

The air traffic absences prompted the FAA to impose ground

delay programs at nine airports on Saturday, with delays

averaging 282 minutes for flights at Atlanta, one of the busiest

U.S. airports.

The cuts, which began at 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) on Friday,

include about 700 flights from the four largest carriers:

American Airlines ( AAL ), Delta Air Lines ( DAL ), Southwest

Airlines ( LUV ) and United Airlines.

The four airlines canceled about the same number of flights

on Saturday, under the FAA mandate but were forced to cancel

additional flights due to air traffic control staffing issues..

Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20%

to 40% of controllers had not been showing up for work over the

previous several days.

During a U.S. Senate debate on Friday, Senator Ted Cruz

blamed the shutdown for air traffic control concerns. Cruz, a

Texas Republican who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee, said

he has been told that since the shutdown started, pilots have

filed more than 500 voluntary safety reports about mistakes made

by air traffic controllers because of fatigue.

The Senate Majority Leader, John Thune, said on Saturday

that bipartisan talks to end the shutdown had taken a positive

turn, but the workday ended with no deals announced. The Senate

is to try again with a rare Sunday session.

During the government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic

controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to

work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism. Many air

traffic controllers were notified on Thursday that they would

receive no compensation for a second consecutive pay period next

week.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it was possible he

could require 20% cuts in air traffic if more controllers stop

showing up for work. "I assess the data," Duffy said. "We're

going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace."

The Trump administration has cited air traffic control problems

as Republicans try to pressure Senate Democrats to back what

they call a "clean" government funding bill with no strings

attached. Democrats blame the shutdown on a Republican refusal

to negotiate over health insurance subsidies that will expire at

the end of this year.