❓WHAT HAPPENED: Roughly 2,800 U.S. flights were delayed, and 109 were canceled on Monday due to staffing shortages amid the ongoing Senate Democrat-led government shutdown.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Air traffic controllers, the Department of Transportation (USDOT), and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Monday, October 27, 2025, across U.S. airports.
💬KEY QUOTE: “They got a big fat no paycheck is coming on Tuesday,” said Secretary Sean Duffy.
🎯IMPACT: Delays and cancellations are expected to increase as the shutdown persists, adding stress to already strained air traffic controllers.
On Monday, October 27, 2025, approximately 2,800 flights were delayed, and 109 flights were canceled across the United States. The disruption comes as the Senate Democrat-led government shutdown enters its 27th day, with essential workers, including air traffic controllers, increasingly failing to report to work.
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy explained the situation during a television appearance early Monday, noting that air traffic controllers are under significant financial strain due to missed paychecks. “They got their notice on Thursday and Friday. They get a notice of what they are going to be paid on Tuesday. And they got a big fat no paycheck is coming on Tuesday,” Duffy stated.
Duffy highlighted the stress faced by air traffic controllers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck. “I’ve been out talking to air traffic controllers, and you can see the stress. These are people that oftentimes live paycheck to paycheck… they are concerned about gas in the car, they are concerned about childcare,” he said.
On Sunday, FlightAware recorded over 8,700 delays across the U.S., with 22 “staffing triggers” reported at air traffic control towers nationwide. Duffy warned that these indicators signal worsening conditions, predicting higher levels of delays and cancellations in the coming days as staffing shortages grow more severe.
The U.S. faced a shortage of air traffic controllers even before the shutdown began, but the ongoing impasse threatens to exacerbate the issue. The National Pulse reported in January 2024 that the former Biden government prioritized diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-based hiring at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), resulting in qualified air traffic controllers being turned away despite numerous open positions. Concerningly, the former Biden government even sought to ensure that a portion of new hires included individuals with severe intellectual and psychiatric disabilities.
An internal FAA safety report highlighted that the tower’s staffing levels were “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic” during the deadly January 2025 collision between an American Airlines flight and a Black Hawk helicopter near Reagan National Airport. A single air traffic controller was responsible for managing both helicopter activity in the vicinity and the movements of aircraft departing from and landing at the airport. Two controllers typically fulfill these duties.
The shortage of air traffic controllers created under the Biden government was significant, with a reported shortfall of about 3,000 controllers as of early 2024.
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