Some experts say there is a solution that could change the dynamic in relatively short order — either privatize air traffic control, or set up a separate government corporation that can run the system.

With the FAA cutting 10% of flights starting Friday, air traffic controllers are currently unpaid in some of the most stressful jobs in the country.

Did U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy say in a Fox News interview in November 2025 that "Pilots need to stop depending on air traffic controllers. They need to suck it up and go with their gut feelings"?

Five weeks into the government shutdown, controllers across the country, forced to work without pay, are taking second jobs to stay afloat.

Flight delays and cancellations are piling up Saturday across the U.S. after the Federal Aviation Administration cut flights at 40 U.S. airports on Friday.

The Department of Transportation may close some parts of the airspace if enough air traffic controllers don’t show up to work, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Tuesday.

The ongoing shutdown means that air traffic controllers at Denver International Airport have been working without pay, with many taking second jobs to try to make ends meet. Now, Colorado lawmakers are pushing for the Federal Aviation Administration to approve the airport's emergency waiver that would allow its air traffic controllers to be paid during the shutdown.

With the system issues continuing, air traffic controllers are preparing the flight plans manually with available data, which is a time-consuming process, and as a result, many flights are getting del