Three of America’s biggest airlines have begun cancelling hundreds of flights because the country’s aviation system is struggling under the government shutdown. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that even before the shutdown, the country was short about 2,000 air traffic controllers. Now, with the shutdown being one of the longest in US history, many controllers have been furloughed or are working without pay. Some have stopped coming in and are taking side jobs just to pay their bills.
The Federal Aviation Regulator is preparing to limit how many planes can take off and land at dozens of major airports. On Thursday, the FAA released the official list of airports that will face cuts. They said the slowdown would start with a 4 percent reduction and rise to 10 percent by November 14.
US airlines to cancel hundreds of flights
United Airlines said it would cancel around 4 percent of its flights on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to the Financial Times. That comes to fewer than 200 flights on Friday alone.
American Airlines said it would scrap about 220 flights a day from Friday to Monday, which is also around 4 percent. Delta Air Lines said it would drop about 170 flights on Friday, FT reported. Alaska, the fifth biggest US carrier, also said it had started cancelling a small number of flights.
Airports in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Washington, Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami and Seattle will all see fewer flights. International flights will mostly continue as usual, but domestic routes are being reduced so controllers can handle the workload. This is the first big nationwide disruption caused by the shutdown. Airlines say they’ll still operate most of their flights, and long international routes shouldn’t be affected.
What is each airline offering?
United Airlines
Anyone can get a refund, even for basic economy or non-refundable tickets. The airline will also waive fare differences if you rebook, according to the BBC.
Delta Air Lines
Delta is offering free changes, cancellations or refunds for all ticket types, including basic economy. Fare differences are waived for rebooked flights before November 16.
American Airlines
For American Airlines passengers, you can change your flight or request a refund, even if your flight isn’t cancelled. The Airline hasn’t said whether fare differences will be waived, BBC reported.
Southwest Airlines
If your flight is cancelled, you can rebook or get a refund. For flights between November 7 and 12, you can rebook for free without paying any fare difference.
Frontier Airlines
You can change or cancel without a fee, but you’ll have to pay the fare difference.
The 40 US airports facing cuts
Amid cancellations announced by individual airlines, US officials have also started cutting flights at 40 of the country’s busiest airports. The FAA released its list of affected airports on Thursday. International flights won’t be directly cut, though airlines might still cancel some on their own. On Friday, over 5,000 flights were cancelled or delayed for hours.
Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Baltimore (BWI), Charlotte (CLT), Cincinnati (CVG), Dallas Love Field (DAL), Washington National (DCA), Denver (DEN), Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Newark (EWR), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Honolulu (HNL), Houston Hobby (HOU), Washington Dulles (IAD), Houston Intercontinental (IAH), Indianapolis (IND), New York JFK (JFK), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), New York LaGuardia (LGA), Orlando (MCO), Chicago Midway (MDW), Memphis (MEM), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis–St Paul (MSP), Oakland (OAK), Ontario (ONT), Chicago O’Hare (ORD), Portland (PDX), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), Louisville (SDF), Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), Salt Lake City (SLC), Teterboro (TEB), Tampa (TPA), Anchorage (ANC).