Airport delays hit second day amid government shutdown

“Now what they think about as they’re controlling our airspace is, ‘How am I going to pay my mortgage? How do I make my car payment? I have a couple kids at home, how do I put food on the table?'” Duffy continued. “‘I’m working six days a week, so I have to take a second job and drive Uber when I’m already exhausted from doing a job that’s already stressful, to think about how I can make extra money because the government may not provide me a paycheck?'”

Speaking at the same press conference, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association Union President Nick Daniels also called for an end to the shutdown.

“We do not have the luxury of time,” he said. “We do not have time to waste on the unnecessary distractions created by this shutdown.”

“Our message is clear: end the shutdown,” he added.

A representative for Newark Liberty International Airport did not immediately return a request for comment. A spokesperson for Denver International Airport declined to comment on the delays.

Hollywood Burbank Airport stated in a statement on X that the airport remains open and operational.

“Operations are continuing at Hollywood Burbank Airport,” it said. “Please check with your airline — before arriving at the airport — for updates on possible delays or cancellations.”

Eric Everts, a spokesperson for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, said in a statement that the airport “does not anticipate many visible impacts to operations in the short term due to the federal government shutdown, as most essential workers are required to continue working without pay.”

Everts encouraged passengers to confirm their flight status and arrive early before their flights, especially “during this busy fall break period.”

The Senate again failed to pass legislation Monday night that would reopen the government, and there are no signs of a deal between Democrats and Republicans in the immediate future.