At least 787 flights have been delayed, and 242 canceled as of 9am ET, according to FlightAware.
On Thursday, 7,250 flights were delayed and 1,249 were canceled across the country.
Thousands of passengers were left stranded in Orlando last night after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced there would be ‘no certified controllers for a period of time’, which would ‘prevent landings’ at Orlando Airport, the closest major airport to both Disney World and Universal Studios.
Staffing shortages have been growing since the government shutdown began on October 1. More than 13,000 air traffic controllers have been required to work without pay.
The US economy has reportedly lost $4.2billion in visitor spending as a result of the government shutdown according to the US Travel Association.
Air Traffic Controllers Ask Public For Donations As Shutdown Drags On https://t.co/LkzYw1RcSc
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) October 31, 2025
Air traffic controllers who missed their paychecks for the first time on Oct. 28 during the ongoing government shutdown gathered at several airports nationwide to ask the public for donations.
Controllers passed out leaflets at 20 airports to also ask people to call their congressional representatives and urge them to reopen the government.
The effort was organized by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents nearly 20,000 controllers, engineers, and other safety-related professionals across the United States.
Association President Nick Daniels joined Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Tuesday for a press conference about the missing paychecks.
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/air-traffic-controllers-ask-public-donations-shutdown-drags
