Shutdown Not A ‘Light Switch’: Controllers Union Warns Of Lingering Impacts

Though the U.S. government shutdown appears to be nearing a resolution, the union representing air traffic controllers is wary of residual impacts and additional uncertainty they may face in just a few months’ time.

U.S. lawmakers reached a tentative deal on Nov. 9, 40 days into the now record-breaking shutdown. The stopgap measure includes three bills to fund certain programs for the full fiscal year and would keep other government agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), funded at current levels until Jan. 30, 2026.

“This shutdown isn’t a light switch, it’s not just on and it’s not just off,” said Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), at a Nov. 10 briefing. “Air traffic controllers have to go in and be perfect every single day and they know, based on what is in the current bill, that Jan. 30 will loom around the corner.”

Daniels added, “knowing that every shutdown you could possibly be the political pawn never puts controllers completely at ease. But getting them paid is the priority ... It’s the right step in the right direction.”

Already-understaffed air traffic control (ATC) facilities have experienced an uptick in shutdown-related absences over the past several weeks—a consequence of escalating fatigue and financial strain experienced by controllers working without pay. Though current legislation provides for backpay, Daniels noted it took controllers between 2-2.5 months to receive full compensation after the last shutdown, one that ended in January 2019 after 35 days. Today, with two missed paychecks, financial insecurity is mounting, ramping up levels of stress and pressure.

“This is not politics. This is not ideology. This is the erosion of the safety margin the flying public never sees but America relies on every single day,” said Daniels. “The added stress leads to fatigue. The fatigue has led to the erosion of safety, and increased risk every day that this shutdown drags on.

“If you want to know what the real fallout of this shutdown is, it’s not a budget line. It is the smallest and the most dangerous shift of all—when the most disciplined safety workforce in America is forced to think about survival instead of public safety. This is the cost.”

To alleviate some of the strain on the national airspace system (NAS), the FAA has already ordered carriers to cut flights at 40 “high impact” airports around the country, requiring them to trim operations seven days in advance. The rolling schedule provides some buffer for recovery; transportation leaders want to see a return to pre-shutdown controller performance before lifting the directive. Additional measures may be taken should conditions worsen, officials noted. Meanwhile, hurdles still exist before the shutdown can end, including final votes in the Senate and approval from the House. The legislation would then hit the president’s desk for a signature.

“Whatever it takes to open this government and pay our members is what’s needed right now, and we’ll have to continue dealing with the fallout to what this added stress and pressure has caused,” Daniels told reporters in Washington, D.C. The strain threatens to exacerbate an existing shortage of controllers, one which already has 41% of ATC facilities working mandatory six-day work weeks and ten-hour days, he said.

More post-shutdown analysis will be needed to understand its full, and potentially far-reaching, impact.

“What we’re going to have to find out is how many [controllers] actually resigned, how many retired due to this shutdown, and truly start assessing all the different impacts this shutdown has had,” said Daniels. “Over last week, it was four to five that had already resigned, and growing by the day.”

Flight Cancellations Mount

U.S. airlines are ramping up flight reductions to reach the 10% required at each of the 40 airports by Nov. 14 and thereafter. According to analysis from Airlines for America (A4A), its member airlines canceled 11 flights due to controller staffing issues between Oct. 1-29, a total it said ramped up to 4,162 between Oct. 30-Nov. 9. That figure included 3,756 between Nov. 7-9, it noted, stating that 60% of those cancellations were a function of the FAA’s mandated flight reductions.

“This weekend, our combined mainline and regional operation saw nearly 1,400 cancellations and more than 57,000 delay minutes attributed to air traffic control, impacting nearly 250,000 customers,” said American Airlines COO David Seymour in a Nov. 10 message to employees. “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.”

The FAA is also restricting commercial space launches and temporarily banning general and business aviation flights at 12 of the nation’s busiest airports, with “limited exceptions,” in restrictions that became effective on Nov. 10.

President Trump has urged controllers to continue reporting for work.

“Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked’,” he wrote in a Nov. 10 post on Truth Social. For those who haven’t taken time off, “I will be recommending a bonus of $10,000 per person,” he pledged. Queried on those comments during his briefing, Daniels said he would “take anything that recognizes these hard-working men and women,” adding that NATCA will work with the administration on any issues that may exist.

“Air traffic controllers have continued to show up during this shutdown, they’ve endured the longest shutdown in American history, and every single day they absolutely not only deserve their pay, they deserve to be recognized for what’s going on,” said Daniels. “Air traffic controllers should not be the political pawn during a government shutdown.”