Flight delays mount as U.S. government shutdown stretches into second month

As the U.S. government shutdown approaches the two-month mark, airports nationwide are increasingly feeling the strain, with staffing shortages leading to mounting flight delays.

This past weekend brought some of the toughest travel conditions so far at many U.S. airports, where seemingly endless lines of frustrated passengers stretched through terminals, reports NBC News.

On Sunday (Nov. 2), more than 5,000 flights arriving at or departing from U.S. airports were delayed.

Even more disruptions and cancellations are expected if the shutdown continues, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Air traffic controllers—personnel responsible for managing aircraft in U.S. airspace—have been on the job without pay during the government shutdown.

In a recent interview, Duffy said he expects them to continue reporting for duty and warned that anyone who doesn’t will see a smaller paycheck at the end of the week.

"None of them can miss two paychecks," Duffy said on CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Monday. "They all start — their home finances fall apart, and they’re all going to have to look at taking second jobs or quitting and getting into another line of work. And the consequence of that is very real for our air system."

He said the system overall is short anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 controllers.

By Monday morning, more than 900 flights within, to, and from U.S. airports had been delayed, and more than 430 had been cancelled, according to FlightAware.com.

Many of the disruptions came from John F. Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, which together reported more than 110 delays and 16 cancellations.

It’s unclear whether staffing shortages were the direct cause of the disruptions.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.