The US air travel system is spiraling into crisis as unpaid air traffic controllers begin resigning amid the ongoing government shutdown. Overworked, exhausted, and financially desperate, controllers are leaving “every day,” according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. The resignations have already triggered nationwide flight disruptions, prompting officials to cut air traffic in major cities by 10 percent. With no end in sight, experts warn the fallout could last well beyond the shutdown’s eventual resolution.
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Resignations Surge Amid Shutdown
Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, confirmed that controllers are quitting daily due to the unrelenting strain. “Controllers are resigning every day now because of the prolonged nature of the shutdown,” he told CNN. “We hadn’t seen that before. And we’re also 400 controllers short, shorter than we were in the 2019 shutdown.” The ongoing exodus is compounding an already critical staffing crisis that began when the shutdown started on October 1.
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Federal Workers Go Unpaid
Air traffic controllers are among roughly 730,000 federal employees currently working without pay. Daniels said the financial hardship is pushing many to the brink, with some calling in sick or unable to afford basic needs. “They’re calling their employer and saying, ‘I have no gas today. I cannot pay for my child care. Can I bring my children to work?’” he revealed. The mounting economic pressure is fueling frustration and deepening the operational crisis within the nation’s airports.
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Second Jobs Discouraged
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy acknowledged the mounting stress just a week into the shutdown, noting that some controllers had started taking side jobs to stay afloat. He warned against such measures, saying, “I don’t want them delivering for DoorDash, I don’t want them driving Uber. I want them to come to their facilities and control the airspace.” However, his comments drew criticism from labor advocates, who said the government had left workers with no viable alternatives.
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Nationwide Flight Reductions
As resignations rise and fatigue spreads, the Trump administration has ordered a 10 percent reduction in air traffic across 40 major markets, including New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and other high-volume hubs. The move, intended to maintain safety, has further strained the already chaotic travel network. With fewer controllers available, delays and cancellations have multiplied nationwide, and aviation experts warn the disruptions could worsen in the coming weeks.
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Fatigue and Burnout Spread
Duffy, speaking to reporters at Reagan National Airport, admitted that the situation had reached a dangerous level of exhaustion. “Let’s not lie about the pressure,” he said. “The ones who do come to work, they’re the ones who are working six days a week, 10 hours a day. You can do that for a couple of weeks, but at one point, you’re going to get burned out, and that’s what we’re seeing.” Fatigue among remaining controllers, he warned, is now one of the system’s biggest safety risks.
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Shutdown Hits Record Length
The government shutdown has become the longest in US history, entering its second month with no breakthrough in sight. The standoff stems from a budget dispute in the Senate, where Democrats are demanding the inclusion of Affordable Care Act subsidy extensions, a condition Republicans refuse to accept. As negotiations remain frozen, federal employees continue to go unpaid, and critical services, including air traffic control, face unprecedented disruption.
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Long-Term Fallout Expected
Even if the shutdown ends soon, recovery could take months. Daniels warned that the system’s fragility means normal operations won’t resume quickly. “It will take us months to come out of all the impacts that it’s causing,” he said. Experts fear that the timing, just ahead of the holiday travel rush, could spell chaos for millions of passengers nationwide. The mounting resignations, they say, could permanently weaken the already understaffed aviation system.