Dozens of airports across the United States started cutting back on thousands of flights early Friday after the record-long government shutdown caused staffing shortages.
Airlines scrambled to meet demands and began canceling flights Thursday night in anticipation of the FAA’s order, while travelers with flights this weekend waited anxiously to learn whether their flights would take off as scheduled.
More than 780 flights have already been called off nationwide, according to FlightAware. Delta Air Lines said it would scratch roughly 170 flights Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 a day through Monday.
Republican leaders expressed hope they could get a deal done at some point this weekend, with President Donald Trump pressuring the GOP to get the government back up and running.
Trump told Republican senators during a breakfast meeting at the White House Wednesday that ‘we must get the government back open soon and really immediately.’
The president has threatened a ‘nuclear option’ to eliminate the filibuster and allow the GOP to reopen the government with a simple majority and no Democrat votes.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has publicly stated he’s against that idea.
Thune said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end what is now the longest shutdown in US history at over 37 days.
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Dozens of airports across the United States have already begun to cut back on thousands of flights because of the record-long government shutdown
Airlines scrambled to meet demands and began canceling flights Thursday night in anticipation of the FAA’s order, while travelers with flights this weekend waited anxiously to learn whether their flights would take off as scheduled
If the plan fails, Senate leadership is set to keep members of both parties in Washington through the weekend in an attempt to finally get a deal done.
While millions remain concerned about the continuation of SNAP benefits for 42million Americans, panic has set in about the ‘unholy mess’ set to take place at airports.
The FAA said the reductions would start at four percent and ramp up to ten percent by November 14. They are to be in effect between 6am and 10pm and impact all commercial airlines.
The agency said the cutbacks are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month.
Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers of them have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount.
Airlines said they would try to minimize impact on customers. Some planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-size cities.
Carriers are required to refund customers whose flights are canceled but not to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation.
The cuts could also slow package service as two airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this week´s deadly cargo plane crash.
Republican leaders expressed hope they could get a deal done at some point this weekend, with President Donald Trump pressuring the GOP to get the government back up and running
Travelers have braced for chaos Thursday morning after there were 269 flight cancellations and 576 delays at airports across the US before 8am
The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a list distributed to the airlines.
In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports will be impacted.
‘I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be an unholy mess for the next few days if these cuts go through,’ airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced the 10 percent slowdown Wednesday, with Bedford admitting the airline industry could be headed for uncharted territory.
‘We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns,’ Bedford said. ‘I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures.’
Bedford, citing increased staffing pressures and voluntary safety reports from pilots indicating growing fatigue among air traffic controllers, said he and Duffy did not want to wait until the situation reached a crisis point.
‘We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating,’ Bedford said.
‘The system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow. If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we´ll come back and take additional measures.’
The 40 airports selected by the FAA span more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Houston (pictured), Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to a list distributed to the airlines
Duffy said the FAA wanted to take a proactive approach instead of reacting after a disaster.
He pointed to all the questions that arose after the deadly midair collision in January between a commercial jet and a military helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport about why FAA didn’t recognize the risks and act sooner.
‘We learned from that. And so now we look at data, and before it would become an issue, we try to assess the pressure and try to make moves before there could be adverse consequences,’ Duffy said. ‘And that´s what´s happening here today.’
Duffy also warned on Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continues another week, it could lead to ‘mass chaos’ and could force him to close some of the national airspace to air traffic, a drastic move that could upend American aviation.
‘If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays,’ Duffy said at a press conference.
‘You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it. ‘We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s unsafe.’
United, Southwest and American all said they will try to minimize the impact on consumers as they cut their schedules to comply with the order.
Trump admitted the government shutdown contributed to Tuesday night’s election losses for Republicans.
While the president said he didn’t expect his party to come out on top, he realizes the ongoing shutdown – now the longest in US history – could have hurt Republican candidates’ chances even more.
Travelers look at the flight information display system at Los Angeles International Airport
Majority Leader John Thune said he believes he has a plan to get Democrats on board to end what is now the longest shutdown in US history at over 36 days
‘I think if you read the pollsters, the shutdown was a big factor – negative for the Republicans,’ the president added.
Shares of major airlines, including United Airlines and American Airlines, were down about one percent in extended trading.
An airline industry group estimated that over 3.2 million passengers have been affected by flight delays or cancellations due to rising air traffic controller absences since the shutdown began on October 1.
Airlines have been raising concerns with lawmakers about the impact on operations.
While the shutdown has not significantly affected business, airlines have warned that bookings could drop if it drags on. More than 2,100 flights were delayed on Wednesday.
