Government shutdown: Flight delays, cancellations worsen

Flight cancellations were again piling up on Monday as air traffic controller shortages, worsened by the longest-ever U.S. government shutdown, snarled air travel coast to coast while President Donald Trump threatened to dock air traffic controllers’ pay if they are absent from work.

On Monday, 1,623 of the 25,735 scheduled U.S. flights were canceled, around 6.3% of the day’s schedule, though on-time departures were better than average, a good sign after days of travel snarls, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Last week, the Trump administration ordered airlines to cut domestic flights at 40 major U.S. airports starting with 4% reductions last Friday and ramping up to 10% by this coming Friday, Nov. 14, citing strains on air traffic controllers.

“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that he would recommend $10,000 bonuses for any air traffic controllers who didn’t take any time off during the shutdown. He said those who don’t immediately return to work would be “docked.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association in response said that air traffic controllers are “unsung heroes, who report for duty to safely guide this country’s passengers and cargo to their destinations.” The organization said they “deserve our praise” and “have certainly earned it.” 

Disruptions over the weekend included 18,576 delayed flights while 4,519 were canceled, according to FlightAware. Cancellations spilled over from regional, short-haul jets — which the largest U.S. airlines rely on for around half of domestic flights — to mainline flying.

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were each offering flight attendants extra pay to pick up flights, according to company messages seen by CNBC. United was also offering pilots extra pay for more flights than it usually does, an airline spokesman said. Such extra pay is common during storms or other disruptions.

American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said Monday that 250,000 of its customers were affected by disruptions over the weekend, with 1,400 cancellations attributed to air traffic control.

“This is simply unacceptable, and everyone deserves better. Our air traffic controllers deserve to be paid and our airline needs to be able to operate at a level of predictability and dependability that no major airline was able to provide the flying public this weekend,” he said in a note to staff that was seen by CNBC.

Airlines were waiving change fees and in some cases, fare differences, depending on when customers could rebook travel. Customers could also request a full refund for the portion of their tickets they were unable to fly.

A sign of how severe air travel disruptions have become during the…