Allied Pilots Association spokesman Dennis Tajer said on Newsmax Thursday that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is “doing the right thing” by preparing to cut flights nationwide if the government shutdown continues to drag on.
Appearing on “Wake Up America,” Tajer praised Duffy’s leadership amid growing concern about aviation safety as federal workers face uncertainty and fatigue.
“What we have is Secretary Duffy continues to lead in this,” Tajer said, backing Duffy’s decision to implement a 10% reduction in flights starting Friday if Congress fails to end the shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported rising stress and exhaustion among air traffic controllers, many of whom are working overtime without pay.
Tajer said Duffy’s plan to scale back air traffic operations is based on new data showing fatigue risks that could potentially compromise passenger safety.
“What those air traffic controllers are going through right now, Secretary Duffy is saying we have new data that shows that there’s a fatigue rate happening with those human beings,” Tajer explained.
“The FAA administrator, [Bryan] Bedford, relayed that, they’ve done a safety risk assessment and said, ‘We need to do this so that we don’t have a safety event going forward.’ And that’s the right call.”
Tajer emphasized that the move isn’t about politics but about maintaining the safety margin that keeps the nation’s airspace secure.
“[Duffy’s] sole role is to protect the safety margin, and we stand with him,” he said.
The Allied Pilots Association, which represents more than 15,000 American Airlines pilots, has formally endorsed a clean continuing resolution (CR) to reopen the government, Tajer said, describing it as “the straightest vector today to clear skies.”
“We cannot let this government shutdown, on righteous issues to be debated, invade the safety margin and basically board my airplane and get into my cockpit,” he said.
With the busy Thanksgiving travel period fast approaching, Tajer warned that resuming normal operations after a flight reduction could “take days and probably a week or two.”
“Don’t forget, you’ve got air traffic controllers that … [are] war-torn right now,” he said. “And so, it’s going to take time.”
Airlines model pilot staffing levels to account for issues with “Mother Nature,” not for issues caused by “government nature,” Tajer said.
“We’re already starting to use reserve pilots because pilots’ time out with these other delays, all done in the interest of safety, but it’s going to impact the Thanksgiving travel period, especially if Mother Nature visits,” he said.
“So we’re already starting to nibble on the Thanksgiving turkey today.”
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