Travelers are starting to feel the squeeze of the government shutdown in real time as flights get delayed and canceled on Friday.
The Transportation Department reduced flights across 40 domestic airports on the 38th day of the longest government shutdown in history. On Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the scaled 10% reduction in operations to alleviate stress on air traffic controllers working without pay, with the first 4% reduction taking effect Friday.
There have been over 1,600 flight delays and 850 flight cancellations across the United States on Friday, according to the flight tracker website FlightAware.
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said in a statement.
Three airports are currently under departure delay statuses due to staffing reasons, according to the FAA. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and the Teterboro Airport each have on average 30-45 minute departure delays, hitting northern New Jersey hard.
Several other airports have departure delays due to volume concerns and runway closures, including George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Miami International Airport, and Tampa International Airport.
Each of the six airports was listed in the Transportation Department’s order reducing flights at high-traffic domestic airports.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety,” Duffy said in a statement. “This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay. It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.”
Three airports have ground delays on Friday, listing an unspecified “other” as the reason. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and San Francisco International Airport each have ground delays.
The FAA also lists partial closures at Boston Logan International Airport, Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport and John Wayne Airport in California, and Martin County Airport in Florida for various reasons.
Airports are advising travelers to contact their individual airlines for assistance regarding flight delays and cancellations.
“We are starting to see cancellations tomorrow at Boston Logan due to FAA flight reductions,” a Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson said in a statement. “We are expecting airlines to reach out to passengers directly. We urge passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport.”
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The next phase of reductions is set to begin on Tuesday, increasing from a 4% to a 6% reduction in operations.
“The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe,” Bedford said Thursday.
