Even though the budget is frozenTrump urges air traffic controllers to work – even without pay
The longest US flight shutdown in history caused massive disruption to air traffic. About 13,000 air traffic controllers currently have to work without pay. This leads to high rates of disease. US President Trump is still encouraging them to work – and promising bonuses.
In light of flight cancellations due to the budget shutdown in the US, President Donald Trump has asked air traffic controllers to come to work without pay. All air traffic controllers should return to work “immediately,” Trump said on his Truth Social online service. Anyone who does not do this will face a pay cut. At the same time, the US President emphasized that he supports a “bonus of 10,000 dollars” (equivalent to 8,600 euros) for those who continue to work during the government shutdown.
Meanwhile, the head of the US air traffic controllers union called for an immediate end to the shutdown. “Enough is enough,” Nick Daniels said at a press conference. At the same time, he welcomed the deal emerging in Congress as “a step in the right direction.”
The longest flight shutdown in US history to date caused massive disruption to air traffic. Hundreds of flights have been canceled daily for days, and on Sunday there were more than 2,700 flights across the country. Tens of thousands of flights were postponed. The FAA had ordered airlines on Friday to cancel four percent of daily flights at 40 major airports. These cuts will increase to six percent on Tuesday and ten percent on November 14.
Reports of mistakes made by tired air traffic controllers
Airline representatives expressed concerns behind the scenes and explained that various measures to control air traffic made reliable flight planning almost impossible. At Atlanta airport, one of the world’s busiest, the average delay on Saturday was 282 minutes.
Currently, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security officers have to work without pay, leading to high rates of illness. According to FAA boss Bryan Bedford, 20 to 40 percent of air traffic controllers have been absent from work in recent days. Republican Senator Ted Cruz on Friday warned of serious security risks. According to him, since the shutdown began, pilots have filed more than 500 voluntary reports regarding mistakes made by exhausted air traffic controllers.
President Donald Trump’s administration cited air travel concerns to pressure Senate Democrats to approve the budget bill without conditions. Democrats, in turn, accused Republicans of obstructing negotiations regarding the end of health insurance subsidies and thus being responsible for the stalled negotiations.
