‘Massive Disruption’: Transportation Secretary Warns That Holiday Travel Is Up In The Air

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Americans on Sunday that if the government shutdown persists, air travel over the rapidly approaching holidays is likely to be marked by lengthy delays and mass cancellations at airports all across the United States.

Duffy spoke with anchor Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday,” where he reiterated the fact that his number one priority was to make sure that whatever air travel did take place was as safe as possible — and said that with a growing number of air traffic controllers missing work because their pay was being withheld, the only way to keep the skies safe was to limit the number of planes leaving the ground.

WATCH:

???? @SecDuffy issues a stark warning about Thanksgiving travel if the Democrat Shutdown continues:

“You’re going to have air travel slowed to a trickle… It’s not going to happen. You’re going to have massive disruption… We have to be honest about where this is going.” pic.twitter.com/E5ZklhXKjI

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 9, 2025

“As I look two weeks out as we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slowed to a trickle as everyone wants to see their families, I think we’re going to see air traffic controllers, very few of them coming to work — which means, yes, you’ll have a few flights taken off and landing at our different airports across the country,” he said.

“But the thousands of flights that happen everyday that move people around the country for this great American holiday, it’s not going to happen,” Duffy continued. “You’re going to have massive disruption, I think a lot of angry Americans, and I think we have to be honest about where this is going. It doesn’t get better, it gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid.”

Duffy was far from alone in this line of thought. ABC News transportation correspondent Gio Benitez spoke with “This Week” anchor George Stephanopoulos and he said that thousands of flights had already been delayed or canceled in the last few days alone — and that was only expected to get worse in the coming days. Benitez quoted a former TSA official as saying that the current landscape was simply “the calm before the storm.”

Flight delays and cancellations are sweeping the country, with one TSA agent calling it “the calm before the storm.” Transportation correspondent @GioBenitez has the latest. pic.twitter.com/6TcxOEe8NH

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 9, 2025