US flight reductions edge up to 6%

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Airlines across the US will cut flights by 6% starting Tuesday, despite growing optimism that the government shutdown could soon conclude.

"Today, we increased it by another 2%. We're at 6% of cancelations of flights in the airspace," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told reporters at a press conference at Chicago O'Hare International Airport.

"Some have asked 'When are you going to start rolling those back?' The answer to that is, this has all been data based," he added.

Duffy urged Congress to swiftly approve the bipartisan measure to end the shutdown and bring relief to travelers after nearly a week of nationwide flight disruptions.

"Today looks better, and (if) the House does their work, tomorrow I think we're well on our way to getting into more normal air travel, less delays and less cancelations," he said.

Duffy warned, however, that the delays and cancellations are likely to worsen ahead of Thanksgiving week, one of the heaviest travel periods of the year.

"As we come into Thanksgiving. This is a Super Bowl of air traffic controlling right? It's a massive movement of Americans," he said.

The shutdown began Oct. 1 after a breakdown in negotiations on federal spending priorities. Thousands of federal workers have since been furloughed, working without pay, while government services have been curtailed or suspended.