Flights reduced at major airports due to government shutdown
Department of Transport Sean Duffy said flights would be cut by 10% at 40 major airports over the weekend.
- The 10% reduction in flights will affect 40 major airports starting this weekend.
- The reduction in flights is a response to staffing pressure on air traffic controllers due to the government shutdown.
- Air traffic controllers are considered essential and must work without pay, which can lead to fatigue and stress.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced at a press conference that 40 major airports will be reducing flights by 10% over the weekend due to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
Mr Duffy’s comments came two days after he cited pressure on the country’s air traffic controllers and warned that there could be widespread flight cancellations and disruption to air travel.
“I think this will lead to an increase in cancellations, but we will work with the airlines to respond in a planned manner,” Duffy said in response to questions from reporters on November 5.
“This is based on data,” he added. “This is not based on which airlines have more flights from which regions. This is about where the pressure is and how to alleviate the pressure.”
Duffy did not say how long these restrictions would last or which airports would be affected, but officials said the restrictions would begin on the morning of Friday, Nov. 7.
Officials said they would work with airlines to figure out how to implement the cuts. “We’re trying to be prescriptive and surgical and put relief where it’s going to be most effective,” Federal Aviation Secretary Brian Bedford said at the conference. “Again, we have no intention of doing anything that would jeopardize the safety of air travel in the United States.”
USA TODAY has reached out to American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and JetBlue for comment. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines did not comment.
“Southwest Airlines is evaluating how the planned FAA flight restrictions will impact our schedule and will communicate directly with customers as soon as possible,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. “Nothing is more important to Southwest Airlines than the safety of our customers and employees. We continue to urge Congress to immediately resolve the impasse and restore the National Airspace System to its full capacity.”
Here’s what travelers need to know:
How will the closure affect air traffic controllers?
Air traffic controllers and many other Federal Aviation Administration employees are considered essential workers, meaning they are required to report to work during the government shutdown even if they are not paid.
Employees at both agencies are expected to get back pay for their jobs once the shutdown ends, but many advocates say going weeks without pay could put them under additional stress and force them to find other ways to earn temporary income.
If air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration personnel are not reporting to work, flight delays and security lines may be longer.
Air traffic controllers have continued to work during the grounding, covering longer hours and days, Bedford said at a news conference. “We’re starting to see evidence that that fatigue is building up in the system, and we feel like we need to work to relieve some of that pressure,” he said.
“Many[air traffic controllers]already work six days a week and are faced with the impossible choice of taking on additional work just to support their families. Meanwhile, Congress is ushering us into what could be the longest shutdown in our nation’s history, introducing risks to an already fragile system,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, said in an Oct. 29 statement.
Are there other reasons for flight delays?
Even before government funding dried up, staffing was causing some delays during the shutdown, but weather was also causing problems.
“Please check the weather,” Mike Arnott, a spokesman for aviation data analysis firm Cirium, said in a statement Monday.
Until now, storms, especially strong winds, remained one of the biggest causes of aircraft delays, even as air traffic controllers dealt with the effects of groundings.
FAA staff shortage
The FAA has long suffered from staffing shortages, with controllers at many facilities working mandatory overtime to compensate.
The Department of Transportation has tried to address the shortage under multiple administrations, but has struggled to attract enough recruits to air traffic control organizations.
Even before the shutdown began, flight delays were occurring at times due to staffing shortages.
A series of equipment failures at Newark Liberty International Airport’s control facilities this spring led to a spike in delays and cancellations at Newark Liberty International Airport as some air traffic control operators took time off to recover from stress.
Staffing shortages have led to flow control programs in other areas, including airspace managed by the Jacksonville center, to keep flights safe.
Although groundings may contribute to some of these staffing issues, as controllers need to find other sources of income, they are not necessarily the root cause of all current staffing-related problems in air travel.
Rights you have if your flight is delayed or canceled
If your flight is affected by staffing issues related to the grounding, you may not have many rights. Because FAA staffing is considered outside of the airline’s control, airlines are not as exposed to delays as due to mechanical issues or other airline-side issues.
Nevertheless, if your flight is canceled for any reason, such as a lack of air traffic controllers, you are entitled to a full refund if you choose not to fly on an alternative itinerary offered by the airline.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
