while union leaders for air traffic controllers and airport security screeners warned the situation was likely to get worse. The Federal Aviation Administration reported staffing issues at airports in Nashville, Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia, and at its air traffic control centres in Atlanta and the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The agency temporarily slowed takeoffs of planes headed to the first three cities. Major flight delays a day earlier also were tied to insufficient staffing during the shutdown, which began October 1. The FAA reported delays on Monday at the airports in Burbank, California, Newark, New Jersey and Denver.

Travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said the risk of significant disruptions to the US aviation system "is growing by the day" as federal workers whose jobs are deemed critical continue working without pay. The longer the shutdown drags on, the more likely it is to affect holiday travel plans in November, he said. "I'm gravely concerned that if the government remains shut down then, that it could disrupt, and possibly ruin, millions of Americans' Thanksgiving holidays," Harteveldt said in a statement.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Monday that there has already been an uptick in air traffic controllers calling out sick in a few locations. When there aren't enough controllers, the FAA must reduce the number of takeoffs and landings to maintain safety, which in turn causes flight delays and possible cancellations. That's what happened Monday afternoon, when the control tower at Southern California's Hollywood Burbank Airport shut down for several hours, leading to average delays of two-and-a-half hours. When a pilot preparing for takeoff radioed the tower, according to communications recorded by LiveATC.net, he was told: "The tower is closed due to staffing." (Jamaica Gleaner)