Sean Duffy: US flights could be grounded to protect travelers

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00:00If U.S. air travel became unsafe due to the government shutdown,

00:04then the Trump administration would close the U.S. aviation system,

00:07U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said Monday.

00:11Now, flights could be stopped nationwide to protect public safety.

00:17Duffy's comments come at a time when the busiest air travel day of the year is quickly approaching,

00:23as the Thanksgiving holiday is less than a month away.

00:26Duffy appeared on CNBC's Squawk Box Monday morning,

00:30saying that we're going to be seeing more delays and cancellations amid staffing shortages.

00:34So that's the consistent question I get.

00:36Is the system safe?

00:38And you see more delays, you see more cancellations of flights,

00:42and that's because we slow traffic down,

00:44because we don't have enough controllers in the towers and TRACONs

00:48to make sure we can navigate the flights.

00:50So that's a tool that we have to keep the system safe.

00:54As of 5 p.m. Eastern Monday,

00:56the U.S. saw more than 16,000 flight delays for the day

01:00and a total of 578 cancellations, according to FlightAware.

01:04The FAA also issued ground delays Monday for three major airports in Texas,

01:09Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Dallas-Love Field.

01:13And on Friday in New York,

01:1480% of air traffic controllers did not show up for work, according to the FAA.

01:19The agency attributed slowdowns and delays to a surge in those call-outs

01:25by the air traffic controllers who have been working without pay

01:28since the government shutdown began back on October 1st.

01:31The shutdown must end so that these controllers receive the pay they've earned

01:36and travelers can avoid further disruptions and delays, the FAA posted on X.

01:42As we continue to reiterate, we will never compromise on safety.

01:46When staffing shortages occur,

01:48the FAA will reduce the flow of air traffic to maintain safety.

01:52This may result in delays or cancellations.

01:55Duffy said anytime there's a shutdown, it adds more risk to the system.

01:59Employees are working without pay, leading to fatigue, stress, and staffing shortages.

02:05The system was already dealing with a shortage of 3,000 controllers before the shutdown,

02:10according to Duffy.

02:11And if controllers call out of work,

02:14workloads increase for those who do show up for work,

02:17making the overall air travel system less safe and more prone to disruptions.

02:22Does it introduce another element of risk?

02:25If I have a controller doing two jobs,

02:27and by the way, they're certified, they're able to do both of those jobs.

02:32But is there more risk in the system when you have a shutdown?

02:34Absolutely, there's more risk.

02:36But if we thought that it was unsafe,

02:38again, we'll shut the whole airspace down.

02:40We won't let people travel.

02:42We're not there at this point.

02:43It's just significant delays.

02:45For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan.

02:48If you want more on this story,

02:49download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com.

02:53We'll see you next time.

02:55We'll see you next time.

02:55Bye-bye.

02:56Bye-bye.

02:57Bye-bye.

02:58Bye-bye.

02:59Bye-bye.

03:00Bye-bye.

03:01Bye-bye.

03:02Bye-bye.

03:03Bye-bye.

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