Major airports across the US are bracing for looming travel chaos after the feds ordered steep flight cuts at 40 of the busiest airports as the government shutdown rages on.
The full list of high-traffic airports that will be impacted by the fast-approaching unprecedented 10% cuts is expected to be unveiled by the Federal Aviation Administration later on Thursday.
The cuts, which will be rolled out starting from Friday, could potentially result in thousands of flights being axed.
In the meantime, airlines were already frantically trying to rejig schedules and get a handle on the customer service hotlines that are flooded with concerns.
Here’s what we know about the possible impacts:
What major airports will be affected?
The high-traffic airports slated to be impacted by the cuts include New York’s John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports. Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey is also set to be on the list, according to sources.
Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, Chicago’s O’Hare, Los Angeles International, Boston Logan International and Denver International are also due to have major cuts.
The other airports likely to be impacted:
- Anchorage International
- Baltimore/Washington International
- Charlotte Douglas International
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
- Dallas Love
- Ronald Reagan Washington National
- Dallas/Fort Worth International
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International
- Honolulu International
- Houston Hobby
- Washington Dulles International
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental
- Indianapolis International
- Las Vegas Harry Reid International
- Orlando International
- Chicago Midway
- Memphis International
- Miami International
- Minneapolis/St Paul International
- Oakland International
- Ontario International
- Chicago O`Hare International
- Portland International
- Philadelphia International
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International
- San Diego International
- Louisville International
- Seattle/Tacoma International
- San Francisco International
- Salt Lake City International
- Teterboro
- Tampa International
What airlines are saying about it?
Delta Air Lines has said it will begin reducing flights from Friday to comply with the directive, but expects to operate the vast majority of its schedule as planned — including all long-haul international flights.
United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline will target its cuts on regional flying and non-hub domestic routes and the carrier expects to rebook many affected travelers. Kirby also emphasized a flexible refund policy, telling employees, “any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly – even if their flight isn’t impacted.”
American Airlines echoed a similar sentiment, suggesting most of its customers would see minimal disruption.
Meanwhile, Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle urged customers to have a backup, saying in a LinkedIn post: “If your flight is canceled, your chances of being stranded are high, so I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline.”
And Southwest said it is evaluating how the cuts would affect its schedule and planned to communicate with customers as soon as possible.
These are the major airports being impacted by the government shutdown
Among the 40 “high volume market” airports that will be affected by flight cancellations are:
- Newark Liberty
- JFK
- LaGuardia
- Teterboro
The delays are part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s 10% airspace reduction during the ongoing government shutdown.
Additional airports on the list:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
- Denver International
- Chicago O’Hare
- LAX
- Boston Logan
What will it mean for air travel in the coming days — and when will it end?
The first batch of cuts, which will see a reduction of about 4% of scheduled flights, will take effect as soon as Friday, sources said.
The cuts will rise to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday before reaching as much as 10% by next week if the government shutdown continues.
The drastic plan threatens to throw holiday plans into chaos for millions of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving.
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“As we come into Thanksgiving, if we’re still in the shutdown posture, it’s going to be rough out there. Really rough. And we’ll mitigate the safety side, but will you fly on time? Will your flight actually go? That is yet to be seen, but there’ll be more disruption,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told “Fox & Friends” on Thursday.
“We’re going to have to all work together as the American people to navigate this really not great situation that I think Democrats in the Senate are putting on the American people with the shutdown.”
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