U.S. Secretary of Transportation: “Air Travel Will Drastically Decrease During Thanksgiving”
The White House projected on the 9th (local time) that if the government shutdown (a temporary halt of some federal government operations) continues until the end of the month, the U.S. economic growth rate for the fourth quarter could potentially record negative figures.
Kevin Hassett, Chairman of the White House National Economic Council, mentioned in an interview with CBS, “The Thanksgiving period (November 27) is one of the economically most active times. There are events like Black Friday (beginning November 28, the largest sale season in the U.S.).” He added, “If people don’t travel during this period, we might indeed see negative growth in the fourth quarter.”
Chairman Hassett mentioned that Goldman Sachs estimated a 1.5% loss in GDP due to the shutdown, adding, “This number might decrease if the shutdown continues for several more weeks because significant air travel disruptions will occur surrounding the holiday period.”
The shutdown, lasting for an unprecedented 40 days since it began on the 1st of last month without the temporary budget passing in the Senate, has already caused delays and cancellations in U.S. air travel due to a shortage of air traffic controllers.
Regarding this, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy stated in an interview with Fox News, “As we approach the Thanksgiving travel season, and everyone wishes to travel to meet their families, we’ll see air travel drastically decrease,” predicting that only a minimal number of controllers would report to work.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has directed airlines operating at 40 major airports to gradually reduce flights by 10% until the 14th.
Secretary Duffy remarked, “The situation won’t improve, only worsen until controllers receive their paychecks,” and mentioned that if the manpower shortage worsens further, the FAA plans to reduce flights by up to 20%.
In a CNN interview, Secretary Duffy noted, “Many air traffic controllers are young and earn less than $100,000 a year, making it a very challenging situation, especially for those with one or two children to support.” He emphasized that these individuals might choose to stay with their families rather than working at control towers or centers to support their families.