Sean Duffy
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued a stark warning on Sunday that the ongoing government shutdown is about to choke the nation’s airways just as families gear up for Thanksgiving, saying the system will “slow down to a trickle” and that many Americans won’t be able to get home for the holiday.
The FAA’s mandated flight cuts have already produced a staggering surge in disruptions: more than 1,500 flights were canceled and over 4,200 delayed by Sunday afternoon, with major hubs like Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta and LaGuardia reporting hundreds of grounded departures.
Southwest alone delayed roughly 1,030 flights, while Delta canceled nearly 390 .
Duffy explained that the reductions, which began at 4 % on Friday and are slated to rise to 10 % by November 14, are driven by a severe shortage of air‑traffic controllers forced to work without pay, many of whom are calling in sick or retiring at unprecedented rates—up to 15–20 a day.
“We have controllers who are making decisions to feed their families instead of staffing towers,”
Duffy told CNN, emphasizing that the pressure is only growing as the Thanksgiving travel window closes.
With the holiday just two weeks away, airlines are scrambling to rebook passengers, but the ripple effect has left thousands of travelers scrambling for alternatives, and many are bracing for a bleak holiday season unless the shutdown ends soon.
