US: Aviation unions warn govt shutdown will likely cause mass flight cancelations soon

On the 31st day of the partial govt shutdown, representatives of two major aviation unions warned that mass flight cancelations could soon occur if the shutdown continues to drag on. Sara Nelson, the international president of the Association of Flight Attendants, outlined the shutdown’s consequences on the country’s aviation system. “And as this starts to crumble and unravel, we’re going to see mass flight cancelations, we’re going to see a system that completely unravels and falls apart,” she said. “This is going to have a massive economic impact”. A spokesperson for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association echoed the same sentiment, saying the aviation industry, already under pressure and understaffed, could soon see staffers walking off the job. <br/>