President Donald Trump demanded air traffic controllers return to work immediately as flight cancellations spike due to staffing shortages caused by the 41-day federal government shutdown.

Trump warned on social media: “All Air Traffic Controllers must get back to work, NOW!!! Anyone who doesn’t will be substantially ‘docked.’ REPORT TO WORK IMMEDIATELY.”

The big picture: Trump pledged to reward controllers who did not take time off during the shutdown and said he would welcome the resignation of those who took leave. • The shutdown resulted in many federal employees, including air traffic controllers, going unpaid for weeks, leading to absenteeism.

State of play: FAA chief Bryan Bedford reported that 20-40% of controllers were absent on any given day at the 30 largest U.S. airports s

See Full Page