The United States is considering a 10 percent reduction in flights at 40 major airports as the government shutdown entered a record 36th day on Wednesday. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the cuts could be reversed if Democrats agree to reopen the government.
The aim of this step is to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers. Notably, the shutdown has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay since the shutdown began on Oct. 1, Reuters reported.
A drastic plan to significantly reduce the number of flights in just 36 hours has forced airlines to make changes. Passengers also flooded airline customer service hotlines with concerns about air travel in the coming days.
FAA plan to curtail flights
Reuters earlier cited industry sources as saying that in a call with major US carriers, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said capacity reductions at airports would start at 4 percent, increase to 5 percent on Saturday and 6 percent on Sunday before reaching 10 percent next week.
The FAA also plans to exempt international flights from the cuts.
The government has not yet named the 40 airports affected by the cuts. However, they are expected to hit 30 of the busiest airports, including those serving New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas.
That would cut up to 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 airplane seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Government officials said nothing will be final until the FAA releases the order on Thursday.
The FAA also warned that it may add more flight restrictions after Friday if there are more air traffic problems.
Will crash flyers disrupt flights? Here’s how airlines responded
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said Wednesday that the company’s international long-haul and hub-to-hub flights will not be affected by the FAA’s plan to curtail flights at major U.S. airports.
Kirby said the cuts would instead focus on regional flying and non-hub domestic routes.
Kirby said the Chicago-based airline would still offer about 4,000 daily flights, adding that its planned reductions would focus on regional flights and domestic mainlines that do not travel between hubs.
He also emphasized a flexible refund policy, telling staff that “any customer traveling during this period is entitled to a refund if they do not wish to fly – even if their flight is not affected.”
American Airlines echoed similar sentiment, suggesting that most of its customers would experience minimal disruption. It read: “Flights on Thursday 6 November will operate as scheduled.”
Southwestthe largest domestic carrier, said it is evaluating how the cuts will affect its timetable and will communicate with customers as soon as possible. He urged lawmakers to immediately resolve the impasse over government funding.
