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New warning issued over holiday shipping and shortages as companies confront two issues

FAA cuts airline traffic in 40 markets over shutdown as Americans already face uncertainty over holiday travel plans
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has issued a new warning over how the ongoing government shutdown could lead to delays and supply chain shortages during the holiday season.
  • The shutdown, now the longest in history, has caused the Federal Aviation Administration to cut flight capacity by 10% at 40 high-traffic airports, affecting both passenger and cargo flights.
  • The reduction in air travel and cargo movement is expected to disrupt holiday shopping and could prevent a "substantial" number of Americans from traveling for Thanksgiving, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.
  • Bessent said the shutdown is causing the country’s economic prospects to get “worse and worse,” adding, “Cargo and people are both being slowed down here. And that’s for safety’s sake.”
  • In light of the drastic reduction in the number of flights, FedEx says it has made “necessary operational modifications” to keep up with the high number of deliveries that it is required to make in the holiday season.
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