The Brief

As the federal government enters its second week, shortages of air traffic controllers have disrupted flights and caused delays at some U.S. airports.

Experts warn that the impact could grow significantly worse if the government shutdown continues and employees start to miss paychecks.

Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, cautioned that the shutdown is different from when a single airline is having problems and travelers can just pick another airline. This is creating problems for entire airports at once.

"This is the entire airport-airline infrastructure," Potter said. "As these problems expand and spread, and the longer the shutdown drags on, it’s unlikely that there will be one airline running on time if the rest of them are failing. It’s going to affect

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