PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Travelers at Portland International Airport are dealing with more delays and cancellations on Sunday as the FAA-ordered flight cuts ramp up due to the government shutdown.
PDX, one of 40 major airports affected by the order to cut up to 10% of flights, is showing more delayed and cancelled flights than on Saturday.
As of 1:30 p.m., FlyPDX reported 32 delayed flights with another 14 cancellations.
FlyPDX arrivals and departures information
The reductions started Friday at 4% and will increase to 10% by Nov. 14. They are in effect from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. local time and will impact all commercial airlines.
On Sunday, 2,687 flights were canceled as of 1:30 p.m. Pacific time, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware. That follows more than 1,500 cancellations on Saturday. Additionally, there were 7,770 delays at that point in time.
FlightAware delays and cancellations
Air traffic in the U.S. could “slow to a trickle” if the federal government shutdown lingers into the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday season, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Sunday.
Duffy has said additional flight cuts — perhaps up to 20% — might be needed, particularly after controllers receive no pay for a second straight pay period.
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“More controllers aren’t coming to work day by day, the further they go without a paycheck,” Duffy told “Fox News Sunday.”
With “very few” controllers working, “you’ll have a few flights taking off and landing” and thousands of cancellations, he said.
“You’re going to have massive disruption. I think a lot of angry Americans. I think we have to be honest about where this is going. It doesn’t get better,” Duffy said. “It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
