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Shutdown causes surge in flight delays, staffing shortages

worsen

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FAA faces significant air traffic controller staffing

shortfall

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Delta and United push for stop-gap funding bill

By David Shepardson and Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON, Oct 30 (Reuters) -

Vice President JD Vance on Thursday warned of a potential

holiday meltdown if a government shutdown stretches into the

busy Thanksgiving holiday travel season and urged Democrats to

provide the votes to reopen the government.

Vance said after a White House meeting with the CEOs of

American Airlines ( AAL ) and United Airlines, unions

and other aviation industry officials that shutdown into late

November could lead to more employee absences ands much longer

security lines and flight delays.

"It could be a disaster. It really could be, because at

that point you're talking about people have missed three

paychecks," Vance said. "How many of them are not going to show

up for work?"

Delta Air Lines ( DAL ) and United both urged

Congress to quickly pass a stop-gap funding bill to let the

government reopen and discussions continue after policy

disputes. A 30-day government shutdown has led to a surge in

flight delays due to air traffic controller absences, sources

told Reuters.

The shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and

50,000 Transportation Security Administration officers to work

without pay, the sources added.

Airlines have repeatedly urged an end to the shutdown, citing

aviation safety risks.

The meeting comes as the shutdown exacerbates pre-existing

staffing shortages, forcing more than 63,000 air traffic

controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers

to work without pay. This has led to a spike in unscheduled

absences, threatening to cause widespread disruptions similar to

those that helped end a 2019 government shutdown.

Duffy said 44% of delays on Sunday and 24% on Monday were

caused by air traffic controller absences, compared to 5% on

average before the shutdown.

Hundreds of air traffic controllers have taken second jobs

to pay bills after missing their first full paycheck on Tuesday

and airlines and others are donating food to TSA agents and

other federal workers at airports.

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.

A 2019 35-day shutdown ended after a spike in absences by

controllers and TSA officers successfully put pressure on

Washington to reopen the government.