There are 45,000 US flights a day. Air traffic controllers are calling in sick. Can anyone do the math on this economic impact?

Photo above - hey kid, I told you . . . go back to your seat. We won't be landing until a week from Sunday because the air traffic controllers all called in sick . . . (screen shot courtesy of the film "Airplane")

If anything has the potential to short circuit the government shutdown, it's the air traffic controllers calling in sick. I confess I didn’t see this coming. They probably didn’t either, until Trump told them they were working without pay until the shutdown was over. And THEN added that back pay owed to them during the shutdown might not be paid. See link below.

This sick-out evidently started in Burbank, California. A bunch of Hollywood producers and tech moguls keep their private jets parked there. Those are all grounded now. The control tower is completely unstaffed, but probably not the cocktail lounge. Someone COULD take off, but it would be a federal crime. Corporate pilots aren’t going to risk losing their licenses, no matter how much Jerry Bruckheimer (producer) or Elon Musk bribes and threatens them.

Possibly more important than America’s economy screeching to halt (if this spreads), is the impact to the NFL and MLB. I’m being satiric here, but it’s true. Imagine if all the NFL games had to be cancelled because the visiting team couldn’t travel. Imagine if the baseball playoffs and World Series were put on indefinite hold. The mobile betting industry and Vegas would shut down too. Liquor sales might plummet. Doordash and Uber eats would be the only jobs left standing.

If this spreads, America won’t even be able to fly any migrant detainees to Wakanda or Zamunda for safekeeping. They will be stuck in Alligator Alcatraz forever. Unless THOSE guards start calling in sick, too.

It’s unclear whether Hollywood and the Artificial Intelligence moguls trying to put the rest of us out of work will blame democrats or republicans for this fiasco. On the one hand, they almost all hate Trump. On the other hand, they also hate higher taxes, which are a certainty if congress keeps dreaming up new stuff to spend on that we can’t afford. Everyone says all the new taxes should fall on corporations. We're all going to put out of work because of AI, anyway.

I have no travel plans this coming weekend. If I did, I would probably drive anyway, since flights are so expensive, and you get charged extra for carryon luggage and a bottle of water now. Next the bathrooms will probably be coin operated. Will we start hearing that are 10-mile-long traffic jams because all the flights are grounded? Maybe the toll booth attendants will start a sick-out too.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

Air traffic controller shortages lead to canceled flights, delays nationwide

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SumKindaMunster · 51-55, M

Americans are the worst at remembering history.

This happened under one of the government shutdowns during the first Trump admin and it did force them to cut a deal and get the government open again.

SusanInFlorida · 31-35, F

@SumKindaMunster i am not familiar with this. Who "cut a deal", and what was the deal?

SumKindaMunster · 51-55, M

@SusanInFlorida https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018%E2%80%932019_United_States_federal_government_shutdown

The end of the shutdown on January 25 occurred several hours after the Federal Aviation Administration was forced to limit flights at several major airports due to a high incidence of sick leave taken by air traffic controllers, who had been required to work during the shutdown without receiving paychecks. Though never claimed as a strike action,[18] the development was widely credited as precipitating the shutdown's end.[

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster “forced to cut a deal” is the work of totalitarian regimes. Labor laws exist flight protocol staffing requirements quality control etc. Mr. Trump is just using an old playbook; exactly like you said similar was done by a previous president. To DJT it IS a game! Off with his . . . Well you know. The king must be overthrown

SumKindaMunster · 51-55, M

@exchrist TDS is a potent affliction, isn't it?

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster I mean I’m not personally denying anything nor am I deranged but is TDS in the DSM 5 manual?

SumKindaMunster · 51-55, M

@exchrist Not that I am aware of.

But when someone's whole rebut is nothing but Trump Trump Trump, fascist, totalitarian blah blah blah I assume it's TDS.

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster I’m not denying anything how is that Trump denial syndrome

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster furthermore several times I made legit suggestions of how to fix the American situation with or without djt you seem to want it to only about him I find congress being such a pushover to be rather infuriating too. Wanna talk about it? But that relates to djt so can I speak of one without the other?

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster your sidesteps are notable unless TDS were in the DSM it is not a recognized syndrome. Remember when everyone was focused on Clinton or Kamala when they did nothing but when our president does something in reality. Ignoring it would be deranged. Deranged defined as someone who is mentally unsound, psychotic, or severely disordered, often used to describe individuals with wildly odd behavior or irrational thoughts.
Therefore gfy guy

SumKindaMunster · 51-55, M

@exchrist Trump DERANGEMENT Syndrome, not denial.

I'm not ignoring Trump, nor suggesting you do either.

Rather, I am not interested in hearing yet another screed about what Trump should do or say from people who hate him and want him dead.

What is there to discuss? Your hatred?

Pass.

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster I agree but I get it out eventually then drop it. How’s the munsters doing?

exchrist · 36-40

@SumKindaMunster again you ignore hard truth Trump is deranged he suffers the syndrome he is president he is the problem maybe more so congress but it seem djt is holding congress hostage. What do you propose to fix this? U just sidestep project blame and repeat nothing new proposed what am I supposed to respond with? What would you do?