The Daily Populous

Sunday November 2nd, 2025 morning edition

image for Flights delayed across US amid air traffic controller shortages as shutdown drags on

The shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers to work without pay.

“After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue,” the FAA said late on Friday.

However, Halloween evening traffic was 20% lower than usual, which helped mitigate the effects of staffing shortages, airline officials said.

On Thursday, air traffic control staffing shortages snarled flights at Orlando, Dallas/Fort Worth and Washington DC, with FlightAware data showing 7,300 flights delayed and 1,250 canceled across the US.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association’s president, Nick Daniels, on Friday joined the airlines in calling for a continuing resolution.

The shutdown has exacerbated existing staffing shortages, threatening to cause widespread disruptions similar to those that helped end a 35-day government shutdown in 2019.

The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels, and many had been working mandatory overtime as well as six-day weeks even before the shutdown. »

Israel army says Gaza bodies received on Oct 31 not of hostages

Authored by straitstimes.com

A search in Gaza on Oct 28 for the bodies of dead hostages, kidnapped by Hamas during the October 2023 attack on Israel.

– Israel’s military said on Nov 1 that three bodies it received from Gaza via the Red Cross the previous night were not of hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

After the start of the truce on Oct 10, Hamas returned the 20 surviving hostages still in its custody and began the process of returning the bodies of the dead captives. »

80% of NYC-area air traffic controllers absent amid 'surge' in callouts: FAA

Authored by abcnews.go.com

"After 31 days without pay, air traffic controllers are under immense stress and fatigue," the FAA said in the update.

Here’s what to know about air traffic controllers amid the government shutdown and how staffing shortages could impact travel:.

Since air traffic controllers are considered essential workers, they are required to work without pay for the duration of the government shutdown. »