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Air traffic absences accounted for 6.6% of delays Thursday

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Airlines are worried about serious problems over the

weekend

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Union chief says some controllers work second jobs to pay

bills

By David Shepardson

PHILADELPHIA, Oct 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Transportation

Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday said he expects more flights to

be delayed, with air traffic controllers set to miss their first

paycheck as a federal government shutdown enters its 24th day.

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

Transportation Security Administration officers must work

without pay during the government shutdown. Controllers will

miss their first full paycheck on Tuesday.

"I think as we get closer to Tuesday and then after, I

think you're going to see far more disruption," Duffy said on

Fox News' "America Reports."

Duffy said at a press conference at Philadelphia Airport that

the Federal Aviation Administration's air traffic controller

academy will run out of money within weeks to pay air traffic

control students and that a few students had already decided to

withdraw.

Airlines are bracing for more disruptions.

National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Nick

Daniels said at the press conference that controllers are under

immense stress and some are taking second jobs to pay their

bills.

The shutdown "leads to an unnecessary distraction, and they

cannot be 100% focused on their jobs, which makes this system

less safe," Daniels said. "We didn't start a shutdown. We don't

end the shutdown -- our elected officials do. And our message is

simple -- end the shutdown today."

About 6.6% of flights delayed Thursday were due to air

traffic controller absences -- slightly above the normal 5% --

but much lower than the 53% seen on prior days during the

shutdown, the Transportation Department said.

On Thursday, the FAA said air traffic control staffing issues

forced it to delay travel at airports in New York, Washington,

Newark and Houston.

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 check points.

Authorities were forced to slow air traffic in New York and

Washington.

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.