As government shutdown continues, flight delays could soon pick up

The government shutdown is starting to impact air travel as call-outs at air traffic control towers are causing flight delays and cancellations.

Sean Duffy, US secretary of transportation, during a news conference in Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in Newark, New Jersey, US, on Monday, Oct. 6, 2025. (Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Increase in air traffic controllers sick calls

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During a press conference Monday in New Jersey, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said they have seen an increase in sick calls among air traffic controllers who are not being paid during the shutdown but are expected to work.

“In a job that’s already stressful, this shutdown has put way more stress on our controllers,” said Duffy.  “So we’re tracking sick calls, sick leave, and we had a slight tick up in sick calls, yes. And then you’ll see delays that come from that.” 

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) represents some 20,000 air traffic controllers and posted a message on its website for its members to remain dedicated. 

Airlines raised concerns about shutdown 

At the end of September, Modern Skies Coalition, —  which includes Airlines for America, the trade group for United, Delta, American, Southwest and other carriers — along with airports, pilots, controllers and manufacturers, sent a letter to Congress warning that a government shutdown would disrupt air travel, put safety at risk, and delay modernization efforts of the nation’s air traffic control system.

“Government shutdowns harm the U.S. economy and degrade the redundancies and margins of safety that our National Airspace System (NAS) is built upon,” the group wrote. “In fact, short-term shutdowns of just a few days, or even threatened shutdowns that are averted in the eleventh hour negatively affect the NAS and the traveling public.”

A TSA agent checks passengers’ identity documents at a security checkpoint at Reagan National Airport on the first day of the US government shut down in Arlington, Virginia, on October 1, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by AND

TSA officers working without pay

Transportation Security Administration officers are among the thousands of federal workers who are required to work without pay during the government shutdown. 

Nationally, about 50,000 TSA agents, who fall under the Department of Homeland Security, are working without compensation during the shutdown.

The agency posted on X that they are prepared and ask for travelers to be patient. 

While TSA is prepared to continue screening about 2.5M passengers a day, an extended shutdown could mean longer wait times at airports. We kindly ask for our passengers’ patience during this time.

TSA screens record number of travelers over Labor Day weekend 

Over the Labor Day weekend, TSA screened a record number of passengers nationwide, with Friday marking one of the busiest travel days in the agency’s history. Approximately 10.4 million travelers flooded airports from Friday through Monday, marking a 3.3% jump over the same four-day period in 2024.