US flight delays, cancellations accelerate as air traffic controller shortages surge

By David Shepardson and David Ljunggren WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Hundreds of thousands of travelers had their flights delayed or canceled on Sunday in the worst day for disruptions since the start of a U.S. government shutdown, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of worse to come in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday. Airlines canceled more than 2,800 U.S. flights and delayed more than 10,200 on Sunday in the third day of government-mandated flight cuts due to rising air traffic control staffing shortages, after thousands of delays and cancellations snarled traffic on Saturday. The government shutdown, which has reached a record 40 days, has led to shortages of air traffic controllers who, like other federal employees, have not been paid for weeks. "It's only going to get worse…