As the U.S. government shutdown drags on, Americans are bracing for more disruptions in air travel. The lack of a timely resolution in Congress has left air-traffic controllers and other essential federal aviation workers without pay, threatening to exacerbate flight delays and cancellations. Despite President Donald Trump’s administration reallocating funds to mitigate impacts on certain sectors, such as military pay, aviation workers are still expected to miss their paychecks next week. House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that the government is quickly running out of resources to support critical jobs, including those vital to air travel.

Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson candidly acknowledged the financial shortfall, noting, “There is not an existing amount of money that could cover the air-traffic controllers’ salaries right now.” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, present at the same press conference, warned travelers of potential disruptions, saying, “I can’t guarantee that your flight is going to be on time. I can’t guarantee you that your flight’s not gonna be canceled.” While essential operations like air traffic control via the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and security screening through Homeland Security’s TSA continue, the lack of pay has led to increased absenteeism among workers, worsening an already strained staffing situation.

Since the shutdown commenced on October 1, absences among air traffic controllers have been a factor in 53 percent of all flight delays, a stark rise from the typical 5 percent. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, during a briefing on Thursday, highlighted the financial strain on air traffic controllers, many of whom have resorted to taking on additional jobs, such as driving for Uber, to make ends meet. On Thursday alone, over 210 staffing shortages at FAA facilities resulted in ground delays at major airports across Texas, New York, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Dallas, Las Vegas, and Washington, D.C.

One extreme example of staffing issues on October 7 at the Hollywood Burbank Airport in California caused the control tower to shut down entirely. This forced flights to operate under visual flight rules, which are typically used at smaller, uncontrolled airports. Congressman Tim Burchett, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told the Daily Mail that it is on Democrats to agree to end the shutdown to get these workers paid and flights back on schedule.

He claimed that Republicans would have to ‘yield to the hostage situation’ of the Democratic Party to be able to give relief to these workers. ‘We’re not going to be able to do it,’ the Tennessee lawmaker admitted. With no end in sight for the shutdown that’s now in its fourth week, it’s not clear if DOT, FAA or Congress are doing anything to try and fill the pay gaps or prepare for the busty travel coming up in November and December.

The Transportation Department did not respond to the Daily Mail’s request for comment on action being taken to address flight delays and cancellations as a result of the shutdown. ‘With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, we are nearing the busiest travel period of the entire year, when millions of Americans will go to airports to spend time with their loved ones,’ Leavitt said on Thursday.

‘Let us be very clear from the White House today’ she added, ‘if the Democrats continue to keep the government closed we fear there will be significant flight delays, disruptions and cancellations in major airports across the country this holiday season.’ ‘If Democrats continue to shut down the government, they will also be shutting down American air travel.’

Forecasts from groups like Airlines for America (A4A) and TSA indicate there will be a record-breaking number of passengers using U.S. air travel November through January 1, 2026. In the Thanksgiving period from November 22 through December 2, its estimated that U.S. airlines will transport more than 31 million passengers – up from 29 million in the same time period in 2024. And for the broader December holidays more than 54 million passengers are expected to take U.S. carriers.