The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday it will begin reducing the number of flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports starting Friday, as the ongoing government shutdown continues to stretch federal aviation resources to a breaking point.
Travelers are now bracing for widespread delays and cancellations at major hubs, including Chicago O’Hare, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson, Miami International, and all three New York-area airports — LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark Liberty.
The FAA said the flight reductions will start with a 4% cut on Friday and grow to 10% by next week. The move comes amid staffing shortages and disruptions across the agency caused by the shutdown, which has left thousands of federal employees either furloughed or working without pay.
By Thursday afternoon, hundreds of flights scheduled for Friday were already canceled, according to airline data. American Airlines reported 220 cancellations, United 188, Southwest about 100, and Delta 170.
American Airlines said it will cancel roughly 220 flights per day to comply with the FAA’s directive. United Airlines said it plans to cancel fewer than 200 of its more than 5,000 daily flights through the weekend.
Travelers at airports across the country expressed frustration and uncertainty as they prepared for possible delays.
“I understand safety comes first,” said Lena Martinez, who was trying to fly out of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. “But it’s frustrating that we’re all struggling because Washington can’t figure things out.”
The airline industry has warned for days that prolonged staffing shortages could impact flight safety and scheduling. The Air Traffic Controllers Association said nearly 15% of controllers are currently furloughed, forcing remaining staff to work extended shifts.
“With this shutdown, it would be dishonest to say that more risk is not injected into the system. There is more risk in the system,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said.
“So if you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos,” he said at a news briefing with the Philadelphia-area SEPTA rail system. “You will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace because we just cannot manage it, because we don’t have the air traffic controllers.”
