RAW: 330pE PRELIMINARY SCRIPT AND EMBARGOES

Travelers taking to the skies today must contend with a 1-2 punch of air traffic control staffing problems and arctic conditions moving across the country. As of 8aET Monday, more than 1,500 flights had been canceled in the U.S. today with over 1,200 delays, according to the flight tracking site FlightAware, which monitors flight disruptions for all reasons. Meanwhile, intense lake-effect snow and high winds are creating dangerous travel conditions in the Great Lakes region. Airlines have cancelled 114 flights scheduled to arrive at O’Hare International Monday and there were 123 cancelled departures, FlightAware reported. Although a possible deal to end the government shutdown may help with the FAA’s order to cut flights by 4%, its passage isn’t yet certain and wouldn’t bring immediate relief to travelers or ATC staffers, many of whom have decided to leave the industry during the shutdown. Correspondent Karin Caifa has all the details in a 3:30pET PKG with FREE custom tags.