Airlines and travelers are rushing to adjust plans after U.S. transportation officials announced a 10% reduction in flight traffic at 40 major airports beginning Nov. 7. The officials cited safety concerns related to the government shutdown as it drags into its second month.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Nov. 5 that the cuts, coordinated through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), will “lead to more cancellations” but are necessary to maintain safety.
“Our job is safety,” Duffy said at a news conference. “And so when we see pressure, we are going to get ahead of it and make sure you get to where you’re going, from point A to point B.”
He added that future restrictions will depend on what “the data will dictate.”
The Wall Street Journal reported that an internal Southwest Airlines memo said the FAA will start with a 4% reduction at select airports this weekend, including those in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York.
“To put that in perspective, a 4% reduction in key markets represents approximately 100 flights, a level we routinely manage during standard weather or irregular operational events,” the memo said, according to the outlet.
The move follows weeks of unpaid labor for air traffic controllers and security agents, which officials have warned has led to staffing shortages, long security lines, and widespread flight delays.
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By the afternoon of Nov. 6, more than 500 flights nationwide had already been canceled, according to FlightAware.
Industry officials compared the reduction to managing a major winter storm affecting dozens of airports at once, the Journal reported.
Delta Air Lines began notifying customers Nov. 6 that they could rebook without penalty if traveling through affected airports, according to the outlet. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said carriers would work to rebook passengers as quickly as possible but warned that delays could stretch for days.
“If you are headed to a wedding, funeral or something you must be somewhere for in the next few days,” Biffle wrote on LinkedIn, “given the risk of flights cancelling I would suggest passengers buy a backup ticket on another carrier that departs after the first ticket.”
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