US airlines' daily cancellations exceed 2,700 as shutdown impact extends

Passengers navigate long lines and delays at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport on Friday, July 19, 2024. (Matthew Pearson/WABE)

This story was updated on Monday, Nov. 10 at 9:17 a.m.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,700 flights on Sunday as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that air traffic across the nation would “slow to a trickle” if the federal government shutdown lingered into the busy Thanksgiving travel holiday season.

The slowdown at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports began to cause more widespread disruptions in its third day. The FAA last week ordered flight cuts at the nation’s busiest airports as some air traffic controllers, who have gone unpaid for nearly a month, have stopped showing up for work.