Donald Trump issues threat to US air traffic control workers as US Government nears reopening

Flight cancellations were again piling up on Monday as air traffic controller shortages, worsened by the longest-ever US Government shutdown, snarled air travel coast to coast while US President Donald Trump threatened to dock air traffic controllers’ pay if they are absent from work.

On Monday, 1,623 of the 25,735 scheduled US flights were cancelled, around 6.3 per cent of the day’s schedule, though on-time departures were better than average, a good sign after days of travel snarls, according to aviation data firm Cirium.

Last week, the Trump Administration ordered airlines to cut domestic flights at 40 major US airports, starting with 4 per cent reductions last Friday and ramping up to 10 per cent by this coming Friday, November 14, citing strains on air traffic controllers.

“All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!!,” Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social, adding that he would recommend $10,000 bonuses for any air traffic controllers who didn’t take any time off during the shutdown. He said those who don’t immediately return to work would be “docked.”

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, their union, didn’t immediately respond to Mr Trump’s comments on Monday.

Disruptions over the weekend included 18,576 delayed flights while 4,519 were cancelled, according to FlightAware. Cancellations spilled over from regional, short-haul jets — which the largest US airlines rely on for around half of domestic flights — to mainline flying.

United Airlines and Delta Air Lines were each offering flight attendants extra pay to pick up flights, according to company messages seen by CNBC. United was also offering pilots extra pay for more flights than it usually does, an airline spokesman said. Such extra pay is common during storms or other disruptions.

American Airlines Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said Monday that 250,000 of its customers were affected by disruptions over the weekend, with 1,400 cancellations attributed to air traffic control.

“This is simply unacceptable, and everyone deserves better. Our air traffic controllers deserve to be paid and our airline needs to be able to operate at a level of predictability and dependability that no major airline was able to provide the flying public this weekend,” he said in a note to staff that was seen by CNBC.

Airlines were waiving change fees and in some cases, fare differences, depending on when customers could rebook travel. Customers could also request a full refund for the portion of their tickets they were unable to fly.

A sign of how severe air travel disruptions have become during the government shutdown: Sunday’s 2,631 U.S. flight cancellations, 10 per cent of the day’s schedule, marked the fourth-worst day since January 2024, Cirium said.

In comparison, on Friday morning, as Trump Administration-mandated flight cuts took effect, cancellations ranked 72nd since the start of last year.

The disruptions that upended the travel plans for hundreds of thousands of travellers forced them to look for alternative transportation. Car rental company Hertz last week reported an increase in one-way demand. There’s also been increased demand for private jet flights in recent days, according to the CEO of charter and fractional ownership company Flexjet.

Though the Trump Administration order didn’t initially require private aviation to cut in the same way as commercial airlines, the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday began limiting those flights at a dozen US airports. However, many private jet operators don’t use the busiest commercial airports, said the National Business Aviation Association.

Increased strain

Air traffic controllers missed their second paycheck of the shutdown on Monday, though they are still required to work. Some of them have taken second jobs to make ends meet, Government and union officials have said.

“Now, they must focus on child care instead of traffic flows. Food for their families instead of runway separation,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said at a news conference on Monday.

“The added stress leads to fatigue, the fatigue has led to the erosion of safety and the increased risk every day that this shutdown drags on.”

The Senate made progress overnight on a deal that could end the shutdown, but it has not yet approved a funding bill.

Mr Daniels said it isn’t yet clear how long it would take for controllers to receive back pay for their work. In the shutdown that ended in 2019, it took about 2½ months before the workers were made whole, he said.

Mr Trump’s comments about air traffic controllers on Monday drew criticism from Representative Rick Larsen, D-Wash., ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, who called the statement “nuts!” and said it ran counter to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s call for aviation workers’ support.

“The women and men working long hours in air traffic control towers to keep the aviation system running deserve our thanks and appreciation, not unhinged attacks on their patriotism,” Mr Larsen said.