Air travel chaos will linger long after the government reopens

AI Summary1 min read

TL;DR

The government shutdown's end won't quickly resolve air travel chaos, as staffing shortages among unpaid air traffic controllers have caused widespread flight cancellations and disruptions.

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government shutdownair travelflight cancellationsair traffic controllersstaffing shortages

photo of airport board with cancelled flights — Hundreds of flights were canceled across the United States on November 7th, after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers who are working without pay amid congressional paralysis on funding the US budget. | Photo: AFP via Getty Images

The longest government shutdown in the nation's history may soon be over. Once it is, federal museums and monuments will reopen. SNAP payments will start flowing again. And tens of thousands of essential federal employees, including air traffic controllers, will get paid for the first time since October.

But air travel won't go back to normal anytime soon.

Airport disruptions have been the most visible effect of the government shutdown since it began on October 1st. Since then, a growing proportion of air traffic controllers have taken time off rather than work at a job that doesn't pay. Staffing levels were already critical at many facil …

Read the full story at The Verge.