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Airlines cancel 3,300 US flights amid fears travel could ‘slow to trickle’

Airlines cancel 3,300 US flights amid fears travel could ‘slow to trickle’

US senators reach stopgap deal to end government shutdown, raising hopes for end to six-week-long impasse. Airlines in the United States have cancelled more than 3,300 flights amid a top transport official’s warning that air travel could “slow to a trickle” due to the ongoing government shutdown. The cancellations on Sunday came as Republicans and Democrats reached a stopgap deal on ending the shutdown after the impasse over the passage of a funding bill dragged into its 40th day. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list Travel disruption has been mounting since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  last week ordered reductions in air traffic amid reports of air traffic controllers exhibiting fatigue and refusing to turn up for work. Some 13,000 air traffic controllers, who are deemed “essential” employees under US government rules, have been forced to work without pay since the start of the shutdown on October 1. A total of 3,304 US flights were cancelled and more than 10,000 flights were delayed on Sunday, according to data from flight-tracking website FlightAware. More than 1,500 flights were cancelled on Saturday, following the cancellation of about 1,000 flights on Friday. Under the FAA’s phased-in reduction in air traffic, airlines were ordered to reduce domestic flights by 4 percent from 6am Eastern Standard Time (11:00 GMT) on Friday. Flights are set to be reduced by 6 percent from Monday, 8 percent by Thursday, and 10 percent by Friday. In media interviews on Sunday, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy warned that air travel could grind to a standstill in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday on November 27. Advertisement “As we get closer to Thanksgiving travel, I think what’s going to happen is you’re going to have air travel slow to a trickle, as everyone wants to travel to see their families,” Duffy told Fox News. “It doesn’t get better,” Duffy added. “It gets worse until these air traffic controllers are going to be paid.” The period around Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times for travel in the US calendar. An estimated 80 million Americans travelled during the Thanksgiving period in 2024, with airports screening a record 3.09 million passengers on the Sunday after the holiday alone. As fears of travel chaos mounted on Sunday, US senators said they had reached a compromise agreement to restore funding for government operations through the end of January. In a late night session, the Senate voted 60-to-40 to break the filibuster and advance the funding package after a group of moderate Democrats joined Republicans to support the resumption of government funding. The funding plan still needs to be approved by the Senate and the US House of Representatives, and then signed into law by US President Donald Trump, before the shutdown ends. It is also unclear whether travel disruption could persist after the government reopens. The FAA said last week that decisions on lifting its flight reductions would be “informed by safety data”. Al Jazeera has contacted the FAA for comment. Richard Aboulafia, managing director at the consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, said that if air traffic controllers have been skipping work due to pay, the disruptions should quickly dissipate once the shutdown ends. But there are also suspicions among aviation analysts that the flight restrictions are an “arbitrary” measure designed to raise political pressure for an end to the government shutdown, Aboulafia said. “The decision to restrict capacity was understandable if the facts and data support it,” Aboulafia told Al Jazeera. “Secretary Duffy says the data does indeed support it, but he has not shared any of that data. People are right to be suspicious, particularly in light of other unnecessary cuts by the administration.” Adblock test (Why?)

US senators advance bill to end record government shutdown

US senators advance bill to end record government shutdown

Senators in the United States have voted to move forward with a stopgap funding package aimed at ending the longest government shutdown in the country’s history. In a procedural vote on Sunday, some eight Democrats broke rank and voted in favour of advancing a Republican measure that will keep the government reopen into January 30. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The measure would also fund some parts of the government, including food aid and the legislative branch, for the next year. But there was no guarantee of an extension of healthcare subsidies under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Instead, the deal struck between the centrist Democrats and the Republicans promises a vote on the issue by December. The subsidies have been a Democratic priority during the funding battle. Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from Washington, DC, said the procedural vote passed with 60 in favour and 40 against. “Now, this is what is called a cloture vote – a procedure by which the Senate agrees to continue the debate about the legislation and begin introducing and passing the bills aimed at ending the shutdown,” Hanna said. “The important thing about the cloture vote is that once it is passed, at that 60 percent majority, every subsequent vote is by a simple majority. So it would appear to be plain sailing in the Senate to pass this bill and the continuing resolution to refund the government and ending the closure,” he added. If the Senate eventually passes the amended bill, the package still must be approved by the House of Representatives and sent to President Donald Trump for his signature, a process that could take several days. Advertisement The Democratic senators who voted in favour of advancing the measure include Dick Durbin of Illinois, Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire and Tim Kaine of Virginia. Angus King of Maine, an independent who causes with the Democrats, also voted in favour of the measure. Democrats, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen of Nevada, also voted yes. Ahead of the vote, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York said he could not “in good faith” support the proposal. Schumer, who received blowback from his party in March when he voted to keep the government open, said that Democrats have now “sounded the alarm” on health care. “We will not give up the fight,” he said. Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who caucuses with the Democrats, said giving up the fight was a “horrific mistake.” Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, also agreed, saying that in last week’s elections people voted overwhelmingly Democratic “to urge Democrats to hold firm”. Since the shutdown began on October 1, Democrats had voted 14 times not to reopen the government as they demanded the extension of tax credits that make coverage more affordable under the ACA. Republicans, however, have maintained they are open to addressing the issue only after government funding is restored. The bipartisan agreement on Sunday includes bills worked out by the Senate Appropriations Committee to fund parts of government – food aid, veterans programs and the legislative branch, among other things – for next year. All other funding would be extended until the end of January, giving legislators more than two months to finish additional spending bills. The deal would reinstate federal workers who had received reduction in force, or layoff, notices and reimburse states that spent their own funds to keep federal programs running during the shutdown. It would also protect against future reductions in force through January and guarantee federal workers would be paid once the shutdown is over. Niall Stanage, a political analyst and the White House columnist for The Hill, said the eight Democrats who voted in favour of the package have caused an uproar within the party. “The critics within the Democratic Party note that the party won a number of significant elections just last Tuesday. They believe they had the upper hand and they have been effectively sold out by these eight who have voted to open the government,” he told Al Jazeera. It was unclear whether the two parties would be able to find any common ground on the health care subsidies before the promised December vote in the Senate. House Speaker Mike Johnson has said he will not commit to bring it up in his chamber. Advertisement Some Republicans have said they are open to extending the tax credits as premiums could skyrocket for millions of people, but they also want new limits on who can receive the subsidies and argue that the tax dollars for the plans should be routed through individuals. Other Republicans, including Trump, have used the debate to renew their yearslong criticism of the law and called for it to be scrapped or overhauled. Meanwhile, the consequences of the 40-day shutdown have been compounding. US airlines canceled more than 2,000 flights on Sunday for the first time since the shutdown began, and there were more than 7,000 flight delays, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks air travel disruptions. Treasury Secretary Sean Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union” that air travel ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday will be “reduced to a trickle” if the government does not reopen. At the same time, food aid was delayed for tens of millions of people as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were caught up in legal battles related to the shutdown. And in Washington, DC, home to tens of thousands of federal workers who have gone unpaid, the Capital Area Food Bank said it is providing 8 million more meals ahead of the holidays than it had prepared for this budget year – a nearly 20 percent increase. Adblock test (Why?)

Norris wins Brazil GP to extend F1 championship lead over Piastri

Norris wins Brazil GP to extend F1 championship lead over Piastri

McLaren’s Lando Norris won the Sao Paulo Grand Prix to surge 24 points clear in the Formula One championship on Sunday, while teammate and title rival Oscar Piastri finished fifth after being penalised for causing a collision. Mercedes’s teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli hung on for a career-best second place, with Max Verstappen an astonishing third for Red Bull after starting from the pit lane. Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list Verstappen’s performance was all the more impressive after the four-time world champion, who won from 17th at Interlagos last year, suffered an early slow puncture and had to fight back from 18th. “Crazy race,” said Norris of his second successive win and seventh of the season after snatching the championship lead from Piastri in Mexico last month. “To be honest, I don’t think we were the quickest today, but I’m glad to take home the win. “It’s a great win. But seeing how quick Max was, it’s disappointing we were not quicker.” Norris leads McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri during the race [Amanda Perobelli/Reuters] Piastri penalised for causing collision Piastri, who started fourth with Norris on pole, served a 10-second penalty for an early clash with Antonelli, which put Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc out of the race after they went three-abreast. It was another massive blow for the Australian, who crashed out of the Saturday sprint that Norris won on a perfect weekend for the Briton, who has moved up a gear and is now the clear title favourite. George Russell was fourth for Mercedes, who consolidated second place overall in a constructors’ championship already won by McLaren. Advertisement With three races and a Saturday sprint remaining, Norris has 390 points to Piastri’s 366, with Verstappen falling further behind on 341 and his hopes looking slim despite his superlative drive in Sao Paulo. Oliver Bearman was sixth for Haas, another fine performance from the British rookie after his fourth in Mexico, with Liam Lawson seventh for Racing Bulls ahead of teammate Isack Hadjar. Nico Hulkenberg finished ninth for Sauber, and Pierre Gasly completed the points positions for Renault-owned Alpine, a year on from the team’s double podium in Brazil. Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto completed a miserable weekend for Brazil’s only driver, spinning into the wall on the opening lap after being squeezed by Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll as Norris led cleanly away. The crash brought out the safety car, with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton pitting for a new front wing after he collided with Williams’s Carlos Sainz and Alpine’s Franco Colapinto. The seven-time world champion and honorary Brazilian continued with a damaged floor but was given a five-second penalty for causing a collision, and then retired. The double driver retirement was Ferrari’s third of the season and dropped them down to fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind Red Bull in third. Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, right, finished the Brazil Grand Prix in third place after beginning the race in the pit lane [Jean Carniel/Pool via Reuters] Not all Piastri’s fault The safety car came in at the end of lap five, and Piastri locked up and made contact with Antonelli, who was pushed into Leclerc at the restart. The Ferrari lost a tyre and stopped, triggering a virtual safety car. “He [Antonelli] left me no space,” the Australian said over the team radio, but stewards disagreed in what some pundits and even rivals felt was a harsh decision. “I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it’s all Oscar’s fault. I don’t think it is,” said Leclerc. Verstappen, who had a new engine and plenty of other changed parts after qualifying 16th, suffered a slow front-right puncture on lap eight after climbing to 13th. He was up to fourth after 24 of the 71 laps, setting fastest laps, and on lap 51, he took the lead when Norris made his second and final stop. Verstappen pitted again on lap 54, dropping to fourth and lighting the touch paper on a thrilling chase for the podium. He passed Russell around the outside at turn one on lap 63, and Antonelli was in his sights four laps later, but the tyres then dropped off and the Italian made no mistakes. “To be on the podium, I did not expect that at all,” said Verstappen. “To finish only 10 seconds from the lead is incredible.” Advertisement His teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, was the final driver classified after two 10-second penalties, the second for not serving the first correctly. The next race is Las Vegas on November 22, the first of a final triple header ending in Abu Dhabi on December 7. A marshal waves the checkered flag as Norris crosses the finish line to win the Brazil Grand Prix [Jean Carniel/ Pool via AFP] Adblock test (Why?)