The former CEOs of two major U.S. airlines slammed the government over the shutdown Friday, warning passenger safety could be at risk.
"This whole thing is both asinine and irresponsible. It just makes absolutely no sense," former American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall said on CNBC's "Squawk Alley," as flights were disrupted at several East Coast airports after an increase in sick leave among air traffic controllers. Delays were seen at New York's LaGuardia Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Philadelphia International Airport. At one point earlier in the day, the FAA briefly halted flights into LaGuardia.
"There will be a call on the margin of safety," argued Crandall. "The reality is if we don't have full staffing then we can't do the full job. If you are going to squeeze in one more flight, if you want to say 'yes' one more time and maybe you make a mistake they you are eroding the margin of safety."
The partial government shutdown entered its 35th day on Friday, with no resolution in sight. Just a day earlier, the Senate blocked two dueling bills that would have temporarily funded the government. The hope was that a short reprieve might help produce a deal to end the standoff over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding and the refusal by Democratic leaders to allocate any money for additional barriers along the U.S.-Mexico boundary lines.
Gordon Bethune, former CEO of Continental Airlines, agreed with Crandall's assessment, saying, "This is the craziest thing I've ever seen in my life." Continental merged with United in 2010.
The ongoing disruptions in airports around the country prompted air travel workers to issue a warning on Thursday. "In our risk averse industry, we cannot even calculate the level of risk currently at play, nor predict the point at which the entire system will break," said a joint statement from unions representing U.S. pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers. "It is unprecedented."
—CNBC's Leslie Josephs contributed to this report.
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