Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy spoke at O’Hare Airport, the hub for most flight cancellations and delays. So far, he said, the disruption to passengers has been minor compared to what could happen in the future.
Transportation Secretary Duffy said planes could be grounded if the closure continues.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy believes more normal travel will be possible if the House passes legislation to lift the shutdown.
CHICAGO – Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy promised on Nov. 11 that if the government doesn’t move soon to reopen, the flight delays and disruptions American travelers have experienced so far will be considered “minor.”
Duffy was speaking to reporters at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, a major hub in the Midwest that has experienced more delays and cancellations than anywhere else in the United States, according to aviation data tracking firm FlightAware. As of 4 p.m. local time, there were 121 cancellations and 281 delays at the airport, according to FlightAware.
“If the House doesn’t pass this bill, I think we’re going to be looking at it in horror Saturday, Sunday and Monday,” Duffy said. “It was beautiful. It could get worse than that.”
Duffy’s comments came days after the Federal Aviation Administration began reducing the number of flights to and from airports across the United States. Travelers told USA TODAY on Nov. 7, the first day of reduced flights, that they feared flying over the Thanksgiving holiday would be a “massacre.”
He warned that flying would become even more difficult, likely over the weekend, much earlier than the holidays.
“We’re going to see disruptions of 10% or more, and airlines will probably ground planes completely,” Duff said. “That’s how serious this is.”
Duffy wasn’t sure how long it would take for the airport to return to normal operations if the government reopened. He said the aviation authority had previously relied on data modeling to decide how many flights to cut and would rely on the same system to decide how quickly to resume operations.
$10,000 bonus for FAA employees? Duffy talks about President Trump’s promises to workers
Air traffic controllers continued to work without pay as essential personnel during the grounding. However, some people were unable to come because they were looking for other jobs to make ends meet amid the gridlock in Congress, leading the aviation authority to cancel flights. Approximately 15,000 flights were delayed on Nov. 11, according to FlightAware.
President Donald Trump instead threatened to “garnish” the paychecks of workers who didn’t pay them or told them to quit, and promised $10,000 bonuses to those who continued working.
Duffy called the bonus offered by the president “excellent,” but it fell short of a guarantee.
“The air traffic controllers never missed a day and showed up every time they were scheduled to work. They should receive a bonus,” Duffy said, adding that the exact amount would depend on analysis. He called the workers “patriots” and said they should be invited to the White House to receive their checks.
He also stopped instructing workers who did not report to work not to return.
“I’m worried about the air traffic controllers. I’m worried about their dedication. I’m worried about their patriotism,” he said. “We haven’t made a decision yet, but we will be looking at those controllers.”
Mr Duffy added that he was concerned about what lasting impact the closure would have on aviation workforce recruitment, saying he feared the experience would make future air traffic controllers wary.
‘We have to live today’: Duffy promises to modernize air traffic technology
As one of the goals of the aviation agency under Duffy, the Secretary of Transportation said he wants to modernize the use of equipment controls.
“Air traffic controllers need brand new equipment,” Duffy said, noting that air traffic controllers still use paper flight strips, “the great technology of 1985” but outdated. “This is a shock from the past, but we live today and technology should live from today.”
Duffy said Congress allocated $12.5 billion to the FAA, but that’s less than the $31.5 billion he says is needed for the program he envisions.
In addition to the changes to the digital flight strip, he said he wants to build a digital platform to manage the skies. Duffy estimated the program would take more than three years. He said the agency would likely consider hiring a private company for the project.
“The FAA does a great job on safety, but they don’t know how to do it,” Duffy said. We’ll have to get radios, new voice switches, new radar, new telecommunications, and switch from analog to digital. ”
