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Those seeking flights in the near future should plan for potential delays and cancellations, as the government shutdown continues to disrupt air travel. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced a series of proactive measures to maintain safety in the national airspace, including a temporary 10% reduction in flights at 40 high-traffic airports nationwide.
Since the federal shutdown began, air traffic controllers have been working without pay, leading to rising staffing concerns and increased strain on the system. This past weekend alone, airports experienced 2,740 delays.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. 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,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “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.”
The FAA will limit certain VFR approaches, restrict commercial space launches to nighttime hours, and prohibit parachute and aerial photography operations near affected facilities, based on safety data showing increased operational stress.
Airlines will be required to provide full refunds for affected flights. This is standard practice when delays or cancellations are not the fault of the carrier. The order does not mandate any reductions in international flights. Airlines retain discretion over which flights are canceled to meet the required reductions. Any adjustments to increase or decrease flight reductions will be guided by safety data and operational conditions.
More information is available on FAA’s website.
The 40 affected high-impact airports include:
ANC – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport
ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
BOS – Boston Logan International Airport
BWI – Baltimore/Washington International Airport
CLT – Charlotte Douglas International Airport
CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
DAL – Dallas Love Field
DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
DEN – Denver International Airport
DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport
FLL – Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport
HNL – Honolulu International Airport
HOU – William P. Hobby Airport
IAD – Washington Dulles International Airport
IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport
IND – Indianapolis International Airport
JFK – New York John F. Kennedy International Airport
LAS – Las Vegas McCarran International Airport
LAX – Los Angeles International Airport
LGA – New York LaGuardia Airport
MCO – Orlando International Airport
MDW – Chicago Midway International Airport
MEM – Memphis International Airport
MIA – Miami International Airport
MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport
OAK – Oakland International Airport
ONT – Ontario International Airport
ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport
PDX – Portland International Airport
PHL – Philadelphia International Airport
PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
SAN – San Diego International Airport
SDF – Louisville International Airport
SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport
SFO – San Francisco International Airport
SLC – Salt Lake City International Airport
TEB – Teterboro Airport
TPA – Tampa International Airport
