As the government shutdown drags on, flight reductions are set to begin at 40 major airports across the U.S. starting Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that airlines will need to reduce their flight schedules by around 10% due to mounting pressure on air traffic controllers.
This shutdown is notably the longest in U.S. history, forcing thousands of Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and air traffic controller employees to work without compensation. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy indicated on Wednesday that these cuts could be lifted if there’s an agreement among Democrats to reopen the affected government agencies.
While the FAA hasn’t issued an official statement yet, reports from the Associated Press have provided details on the airports that will likely be impacted.
United Airlines is reportedly issuing refunds to customers due to these flight restrictions.
Among the cities facing reductions are:
- Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas
- Denver International Airport, Colorado
- Chicago O’Hare International Airport, Illinois
- Los Angeles International Airport, California
- Anchorage International Airport, Alaska
- Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts
- Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Maryland
- Charlotte Douglas International Airport, North Carolina
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Ohio
- Dallas Love Field, Texas
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Virginia
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Michigan
- Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, Florida
- Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii
- Houston Hobby Airport, Texas
- Washington Dulles International Airport, Virginia
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport, Texas
- Indianapolis International Airport, Indiana
- …
- Miami International Airport, Florida
- Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota
- Oakland International Airport, California
- Ontario International Airport, California
- Portland International Airport, Oregon
- Philadelphia International Airport, Pennsylvania
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Arizona
- San Diego International Airport, California
- Louisville International Airport, Kentucky
- Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, Washington
- San Francisco International Airport, California
- Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah
- Teterboro Airport, New Jersey
- Tampa International Airport, Florida
Since the shutdown began, there have been significant delays affecting tens of thousands of flights, with airlines reporting that around 3.2 million travelers have experienced disruptions due to air traffic control shortages. The timing could not be worse, as these changes occur just weeks before the busy Thanksgiving travel period.
