US senators have reached a stopgap agreement to end the government shutdown, raising hopes of ending a six-week deadlock.
U.S. airlines have canceled more than 3,300 flights as transportation officials warn that air travel could “slow down a little bit” as the government shutdown continues.
Sunday’s cancellation came as Republicans and Democrats reached a stopgap deal to end the government shutdown after an impasse over passing a funding bill entered its 40th day.
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Travel disruptions have increased since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered air traffic reduced last week after reports of air traffic controllers showing signs of fatigue and refusing to report to work.
About 13,000 air traffic controllers, who are considered “essential” employees under U.S. government regulations, have been working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1.
More than 3,300 U.S. flights were canceled Sunday and about 10,000 were delayed, according to data from aviation tracking website FlightAware.
After approximately 1,000 flights were canceled on Friday, more than 1,500 flights were canceled on Saturday.
Under the FAA’s phased air traffic reductions, airlines were ordered to reduce domestic flights by 4% starting Friday at 6 a.m. ET (11 p.m. Japan time).
Flights will be reduced by 6% starting Monday, 8% by Thursday and 10% by Friday.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned in a media interview Sunday that air travel could be disrupted ahead of Thanksgiving on Nov. 27.
“As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, air travel is going to slow down a little bit because everyone wants to travel to see family,” Duffy told Fox News.
“Things are not getting better,” Duffy added. “Until air traffic controllers are paid, things will only get worse.”
The period around Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel times in the U.S. calendar.
An estimated 80 million Americans will travel during Thanksgiving in 2024, and airports screened a record 3.09 million passengers on the Sunday after the holiday alone.
As concerns about travel disruption mounted on Sunday, U.S. senators announced they had reached a compromise that would restore funding to the government through the end of January.
The Senate voted 60-40 in a late-night session to break the filibuster and move forward with the funding policy after a group of moderate Democrats joined Republicans in supporting restoring government funding.
Before the shutdown ends, the funding plan must be approved by the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law by U.S. President Donald Trump.
It is also unclear whether travel disruption will continue even after the government reopens.
The FAA said last week that decisions to lift flight reductions “will be based on safety data.”
Al Jazeera has contacted the FAA for comment.
Richard Aboulafia, managing director of consultancy Aerodynamic Advisory, said if air traffic controllers were skipping work for paychecks, the disruption should clear up quickly once the shutdown ends.
But there is also suspicion among aviation analysts that the flight restrictions are an “arbitrary” measure aimed at building political pressure to lift the government shutdown, Aboulafia said.
“The decision to limit capacity is understandable if the facts and data support it,” Aboulafia told Al Jazeera.
“Secretary Duffy says the data does support that, but he hasn’t shared any of that data. People are right to be suspicious, especially given the administration’s other unnecessary cuts.”
