Travel chaos as unpaid air traffic controllers abandon towers... while Thanksgiving threat looms
The Daily Mail ^ | 24 Oct 2025 | KATELYN CARALLE
Posted on 10/24/2025 4:15:08 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
Americans are likely to face even more flight interruptions after Congress failed to provide last-minute relief for air-traffic controllers and other federal aviation workers whose paychecks will stall due to the government shutdown.
While Donald Trump's administration moved funds to delay impact on some areas – such as pay for the troops – lawmakers warn that next week aviation workers will not receive their paychecks.
Around 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 TSA officers are facing work without pay, leading to surging absences and sick says. Since the shutdown began on October 1, staff absences have contributed to 53 percent of all flight delays compared to the usual 5 percent.
On some days almost 6,000 flights have been hit by delays, with several major airports forced to impose ground stops due to the shortages.
On Friday, more than 4,000 flights were delayed across the country. At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, there were average delays of 34 minutes due to staffing shortages, while at Newark 'compacted demand' was causing a 55-minute average delay.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters on Thursday that the government is 'running out of resources' to fund necessary and critical jobs that rely on government funding – including those within the aviation industry that make air travel possible.
'There is not an existing amount of money that could cover the air-traffic controllers' salaries right now,' the Louisiana congressman admitted.
Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who was at that press conference with Johnson, warned Americans would face direct impacts: 'I can't guarantee that your flight is going to be on time. I can't guarantee you that your flight's not gonna be canceled.'
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
TOPICS: Business/Economy; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: airtraffic; concerntrolling; controllers; fakenews
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To: MinorityRepublican
Schumer should end his shutdown.
2 posted on 10/24/2025 4:18:03 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Je suis Charlie Kirk.)
To: MinorityRepublican
The Senate needs to invoke the Nuclear option to get Government open as soon you will have 41 million without any means to eat..
3 posted on 10/24/2025 4:18:10 PM PDT by dpetty121263
To: dpetty121263
Agreed—open it long enough to pay critical bills.
Then let it shut down again.
Rinse and repeat as necessary.
No concessions to Democrats required.
4 posted on 10/24/2025 4:19:43 PM PDT by cgbg ("The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it.")
To: dpetty121263
The Senate needs to invoke the Nuclear option to get Government open as soon you will have 41 million without any means to eat..
Otherwise, the GOP will get the blame for starving 41 million people.
To: MinorityRepublican
Ordered out by Chuck and the Demon democrats ?
6 posted on 10/24/2025 4:22:16 PM PDT by butlerweave (Fateh)
To: MinorityRepublican
Another nail in the coffin. And dems are hedging that their persistent lie about this shut down belongs to the GOP will stick.
As chairman komrade BHO used to say “Happy Turkey Day”
7 posted on 10/24/2025 4:22:29 PM PDT by Clutch Martin ("The dawn cracks hard like a bull whip and it ain't taking no lip from the night before" Tom Waits)
To: MinorityRepublican
Agreed..get the bills paid and shut her down till next cycle.
8 posted on 10/24/2025 4:25:06 PM PDT by dpetty121263
To: cgbg
Paid the bills and close it down till the next cycle.
9 posted on 10/24/2025 4:26:22 PM PDT by dpetty121263
To: E. Pluribus Unum
No, let it continue. Pay the air traffic controllers, let 50,000 Transportation “safety” agents be fired, and another 10 to 20 percent of “non-essential” government employees let go—after all they are non-essential. Rush made this point again and again. If they are “non-essential,” why are they working? This is an opportunity to scale back the federal behemoth. Do it now.
10 posted on 10/24/2025 4:27:57 PM PDT by Fungi
To: MinorityRepublican
Close it all down. Don’t care.
11 posted on 10/24/2025 4:29:13 PM PDT by CodeToad
To: MinorityRepublican
Considering this, it isn’t a good time to fly.
12 posted on 10/24/2025 4:31:48 PM PDT by airborne (Thank you Rush for helping me find FreeRepublic! )
To: MinorityRepublican
Limit flights to airline service and cargo flights.
To: dpetty121263
“ The Senate needs to invoke the Nuclear option to get Government open as soon you will have 41 million without any means to eat..”
*******************************************************
Yep…. Once SNAP money is unavailable to recipients then do the nuclear option. The “dependent” classes will have an organic understanding of that necessity of that option then.
14 posted on 10/24/2025 4:33:34 PM PDT by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MAX)
To: MinorityRepublican
I’m in the middle of a great trip, already arrived in North Carolina. If we have to delay our trip home to Kalifornia.......................
Oh, darn.
15 posted on 10/24/2025 4:35:55 PM PDT by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try )
To: MinorityRepublican
I would view this as the greatest opportunity ever for over time pay!
Federal employees - a bunch of immature teenagers.
16 posted on 10/24/2025 4:36:39 PM PDT by zeestephen (Trump Landslide? Kamala lost the election by 230,000 votes, in WI, MI, and PA.)
To: MinorityRepublican
The airports and states could pay the air traffic controllers and TSA people.
There could be altitude & directional rules to allow flights to operate without air traffic control. I might try to come up with a set.
To: MinorityRepublican
Make it clear that the essential stuff is needed to continue but don’t let the Dems tie what’s essential to their money laundering, kickbacks, corruption and grift. If they can’t deal with that, then let it all shutdown until they feel real pain. People can drive or take the bus or train.
To: MinorityRepublican
Who is that demonicRAT b*tch who said the only leverage demonicRATS have is causing suffering?
19 posted on 10/24/2025 4:38:24 PM PDT by Texas Eagle ("Throw me to the wolves and I'll return leading the pack"- Donald J. Trump)
To: Brian Griffin
In my working days I could go 6 months without a paycheck-just like the financial folks advised. These people have been getting a good paycheck every 2 weeks for 2 decades or so. Why can’t they figure it out? Victimology 101 sent to you by the MSM.
20 posted on 10/24/2025 4:41:55 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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