✨ Discover this insightful post from PBS NewsHour – Politics 📖
📂 Category: air traffic controllers,airlines,airports,aviation,federal aviation administration,Government Shutdown
📌 Here’s what you’ll learn:
Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are among the 40 busiest across the United States where flights will be cut starting Friday due to the government shutdown, according to a list distributed to airlines and obtained by The Associated Press.
The Federal Aviation Administration announced Wednesday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across high-volume markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers are not getting paid and are showing signs of stress during the shutdown.
Read more: Below is a list of airports that will have to reduce flights during the government shutdown
The affected airports in more than two dozen states include the busiest airports across the United States, including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami and San Francisco. In some major cities – such as New York, Houston and Chicago – multiple airports will be affected.
The Federal Aviation Administration is imposing flight cuts to ease pressure on air traffic controllers who are working without pay during the government shutdown and who have increasingly canceled work. The move also comes as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown.
Read more: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to reduce air traffic by 10% at dozens of busy airports during the closure
Controllers have already missed out on a full paycheck and are set to not receive anything again next week as the lockdown period continues.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has delayed flights at times when airports or other facilities have control device shortages.
Airlines mix up schedules
Passenger notification of cancellations should begin on Thursday. Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers, some of whom will see weekend travel plans disrupted without warning.
United, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said they will offer refunds to passengers who choose not to travel, even if they bought normally non-refundable tickets.
The president of Frontier Airlines recommended travelers buy backup tickets from another airline to avoid being stranded.
Read more: Duffy expects “total chaos” in the sky if the lockdown continues into next week
The cuts could also disrupt package deliveries because there are two airports with major distribution centers on the list — FedEx operates at the airport in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this week’s deadly cargo plane crash.
The cuts could affect up to 1,800 flights, or more than 268,000 passengers per day, according to estimates from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Airlines are used to dealing with thousands of flights being cut at short notice during severe weather, but the difference now is that these lockdown cuts will continue indefinitely until safety data improves.
“I am not aware, in my 35-year history in the aviation market, that we have ever encountered a situation where we would take this type of action,” FAA Administrator Brian Bedford said Wednesday. “We are in new territory in terms of the government shutdown.”
Read more: What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled during a government shutdown
Henry Harteveldt, an aviation industry analyst, said a small number of cities will be excluded because some airlines have indicated they will focus on reducing flights to and from small and medium-sized cities.
“This will have a noticeable impact across the U.S. air transportation system,” said Harteveldt, head of the Atmospheric Research Group.
The closure is already stressing airlines
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the lockdown began on October 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless called upon.
Increasing staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said.
“We cannot ignore that,” he added.
Bedford and Transport Minister Sean Duffy said on Wednesday they would meet with airline executives to figure out how to implement the cuts safely.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry are urging Congress to end the shutdown, which on Wednesday became the longest on record.
The shutdown puts unnecessary stress on the system and “forces difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the American air travel experience,” Jeff Freeman, president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, said in a statement.
Duffy warned earlier this week that there could be chaos in the skies if the lockdown lasts long enough for air traffic controllers to lose their second full pay next week.
Some monitors can get one salary, but not two or more, he said.
Controller staffing deteriorates
Staffing at regional control centers managing multiple airports and at individual airport towers can be reduced, but does not always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays due to staffing issues were largely isolated and temporary.
But this past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the lockdown.
From Friday through Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System’s command center system. This number, which is likely to be an undercount, is well above the average on the weekends before the lockdown.
Associated Press journalist Christopher L. Keller contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
A free press is the cornerstone of a healthy democracy.
Support trustworthy journalism and civil dialogue.
⚡ Share your opinion below!
#️⃣ #major #airports #targeted #flight #closures #Federal #Aviation #Administration
