Government shutdown: Flight delays and cancellations worsen

Flight cancellations worsened again Monday as a shortage of air traffic controllers exacerbated by the longest U.S. government shutdown on record crippled air travel coast to coast.

Air traffic controllers on Monday lost their second paycheck due to the shutdown, although they are still required to work. Government and union officials said some of them got second jobs to make ends meet.

A sign of how severe air travel disruptions are in the government shutdown: The cancellation of 2,631 U.S. flights on Sunday, 10% of the schedule, was the fourth-worst day since January 2024, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

By comparison, on Friday morning, as the Trump administration’s flight cuts took effect, cancellations ranked 72nd since the beginning of last year.

The Senate made progress overnight on an agreement that could end the shutdown, but has not yet approved a funding bill.

Cirium said 1,432 of 25,733 scheduled flights were canceled across the country on Monday, about 5.5% “and growing.” Disruptions piled up over the weekend, with 18,576 flights delayed and 4,519 cancelled, according to FlightAware.

Cancellations spread from short-haul regional jets — which the largest U.S. airlines rely on for about half of their domestic flights — to major flights.

United Airlines and Delta Airlines Each was offering flight attendants extra pay to get on flights, according to company letters seen by CNBC. The airlines did not immediately comment. Such additional wages are common during storms or other disturbances.

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