Many flights that eventually took off were delayed for several hours.
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Airlines canceled hundreds more U.S. flights this weekend, causing delays at major airports in New York and other cities as federal authorities cut air travel due to the government shutdown.
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Of the 21,748 flights scheduled for Saturday, about 3.7% were canceled as of 8:45 a.m. New York time, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The hardest hit companies were American Airlines Group Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc.
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Many flights that eventually took off were delayed for several hours. Airlines canceled about 3% of their 25,375 scheduled flights on Friday.
At Newark Liberty International Airport on Saturday, the average delay was more than four hours, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. At John F. Kennedy International Airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and San Francisco International Airport, delays averaged about two hours.
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The chaos at the airport came as Transport Minister Sean Duffy said the federal government would cut flights by 10% by the end of next week due to a shortage of air traffic controllers, who have been laid off due to the shutdown now in its 39th day.
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If the air traffic controller shortage worsens due to the air traffic controller shutdown, Duffy said he plans to cut flights by 15% or even 20% as the busy Thanksgiving travel season begins.
The issue has become part of a broader political fight between Republicans and Democrats in Congress over federal funding. The Trump administration says the cuts are necessary for safety reasons due to staffing shortages, while a top Democrat has called for more transparency, suggesting the decision is not politically motivated.
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