The government shutdown has dragged into a new month, and as Americans await decisions from top policymakers to fund and reopen the government, air travel has seen some ripple effects as a result of the federal impasse.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday that his department might be forced to shut down airspace in certain parts of the country if the shutdown continues into next week.
"You will see mass flight delays. You'll see mass cancelations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it because we don't have the air traffic controllers," he said.
Air traffic controllers are considered essential workers and are exempt from being furloughed during the shutdown, and as a result, more than 13,000 are expected to work without pay for the duration, according to the Department of Transportation.
Across the country, flight delays have occurred at multiple airports due to air traffic controller shortages.
Air traffic controllers calling in sick during the shutdown has lead to lengthy delays and reduced flights in order to ensure airport towers and control facilities can space out and safely handle air traffic.
Last month, air traffic controllers warned of the potential impact of a prolonged shutdown, not just when it comes to possible travel delays, but for safety in the skies.
"This introduces a new risk to aviation. Air-traffic controllers are supposed to mitigate risk," Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said.
Peter LeFevre, an air traffic controller at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., told ABC News, "It's just very difficult. Not knowing exactly how I'm going to have child care for my kids or put gas in the car or pay the next mortgage payment adds a certain level of stress onto an already stressful profession."
The shutdown has resulted in security screening delays at several airports.
Officials at airports in Houston on Tuesday warned of a third day of long lines to get through security, where 60,000 TSA agents are also at work without pay, and some calling in sick.
Wait times of up to 75 minutes have been reported at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and half an hour at Houston Hobby Airport, after two days of more than three-hour waits.
Officials said things will only get worse as long as the government remains shut down.
Hollywood Burbank Airport in Los Angeles County dropped to zero air traffic controllers on Oct. 13, forcing the tower to close for several hours and pass off traffic to a San Diego facility, according to Federal Aviation Administration documents. As a result, flights were delayed an average of 2.5 hours.
The tower at Nashville International Airport in Tennessee had extremely limited staffing the same week, causing the airport to hand off traffic to the Memphis air traffic control center.
Nashville issued a temporary ground stop, which caused flight delays upwards of two hours.
Other ATC facilities experiencing similar impacts include Las Vegas, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Dallas, Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Denver.
Since the government shutdown started, there has been a 35% increase in travelers who have added "disruption assistance" to their travel plans, according to new booking data from travel booking platform Hopper.
Disruption assistance allows for travelers to rebook a flight on any carrier if their planned flight gets canceled or delayed, or if they miss a connecting flight.
Experts at Hopper suggest travelers consider adding flexible booking options such as "Cancel for Any Reason" or "Change for Any Reason" if they haven't already.
Flyers should also sign up for alerts and remember to check flight status with the carrier directly, as well as the local departure airport, for any delays to have an added layer of insulation amid travel uncertainty and possible changes, the experts told ABC News.
In general, according to the experts at Hopper, booking the first flight out of the day or as early in the morning as possible can help travelers avoid major disruptions. Flights after 9 a.m. are two times more likely to be delayed than departures scheduled between 5 to 8 a.m., they said.
The FAA has addressed issues including air traffic controller staffing and continues to share information about real-time flight impacts like ground stops due to external factors.
The agency has not directly addressed the shutdown itself, except to note on its website that "portions of the Department of Transportation are currently in shutdown/furlough status due to a lapse in appropriations."
"There have been increased staffing shortages across the system. When that happens, the FAA slows traffic into some airports to ensure safe operations," the agency said previously, in a statement to ABC News.
Click here to find the latest FAA airport updates regarding delays and closures.
Those with flights during the shutdown period should continue to check for the latest real-time information from their airline via their carrier's app or website, as well as on the websites of their departure and arrival airports.
ABC News' Ayesha Ali, Sam Sweeney and Clara McMichael contributed to this report.
An earlier version of this story was first published Oct. 8, 2025.
