As America’s government shutdown becomes the longest in history, the fallout is spreading from Washington’s halls of power to airports across the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to cut 10 per cent of their flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the nation to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers and ensure that flying remains safe.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that if the shutdown continues, the public will see “mass chaos” involving delays, cancellations and potentially airspace closures.
“The airlines are going to work with passengers but in the end our sole role is that we keep this airspace as safe as possible,” Duffy said, warning of “additional disruption” and “frustration”.
But what does this mean for travellers as Thanksgiving and the busiest travel days of the year loom, and is chaos in the skies really on the horizon?
How many flights are being cancelled by the US shutdown?
The restrictions will start gradually, reducing domestic flights by around 4 per cent on Friday, climbing to 5 per cent on Saturday and 6 per cent on Sunday, before hitting 10 per cent next week on 14 November, the Reuters news agency reported.
They are to be in effect between 6 am to 10 pm local time and impact all commercial airlines.
More than 800 flights were cancelled for Friday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. Many of those scrapped were Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines flights.
Experts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of flights could be cancelled overall. The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Affected airports cover more than two dozen states and include the busiest in the US – Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami, and San Francisco. In major cities including New York, Houston and Chicago, multiple airports will be affected.
Flights have also been delayed by the FAA when airports or its other facilities are short on controllers.
At the moment, international flights do not have to be reduced, according to the FAA.
What to do if your flight is delayed or cancelled during the US shutdown
It is better to be stuck at home or in a hotel than to be stranded in an airport terminal, so use the airline’s app or flight websites to make sure that your flight is still on before heading to the airport. This FAA site can be checked to see if there are widespread delays at your airport.
If you are already at the airport, it is time to find another flight. Get in line to speak to a customer service representative, and call or go online to connect to the airline’s reservations staff. It also helps to reach out on X, the site formerly known as Twitter, because airlines might respond quickly there.
Airlines will rebook you on a later flight for no additional charge.
You might consider whether it makes sense to travel by train, car or bus instead, though. The shutdown is different from when a single airline is having problems and travellers can just pick another carrier. This is creating problems for entire airports at once.
“As these problems expand and spread the longer the shutdown drags on, it’s unlikely that there will be one airline running on time if the rest of them are failing,” Kyle Potter, executive editor of Thrifty Traveler, told AP. “It’s going to affect the entire system over time.”
Are travellers owed refunds or compensation for cancelled flights?
If you no longer want to take the trip or have found another way of getting to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket. It doesn’t matter why the flight was cancelled.
You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.
US airlines are not required to pay additional cash compensation or cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded, even if a flight cancellation or a severe delay is the airline’s fault.
That said, each airline is different. The US Department of Transportation has a site that lets consumers see the commitments that each carrier makes for refunds and covering other expenses when flights are cancelled or significantly delayed.
‘Mass chaos’ looms as unpaid staff walk off the job
The last time the US closed its airspace was in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks. While a full closure is still not on the table, the fact that it is being openly discussed, along with nationwide flight cuts, suggests the system is reaching a breaking point as the shutdown continues.
Thousands of air traffic controllers and airport security officers are still working without pay. According to aviation insiders, more are beginning to call in sick to find temporary jobs elsewhere to make ends meet.
“I think you’re also seeing people who are just calling in sick because they’re fed up and they’re like, ‘well, I’m going to spend the holiday weekend with my kids for once,’” one air traffic controller told NPR this week.
The Trump administration has said the shutdown has left shortages of up to 3,000 air traffic controllers. Employees of the FAA have already missed one paycheck.
Duffy and the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association have warned that the longer it continues, the more the financial pressure on those forced to work without pay will grow.
It is difficult to predict how much worse the situation could get if they miss a second paycheck but the shutdown has already left some passengers facing longer queues, missed connections and hours of waiting in airports or on the tarmac.
What have the delays and cancellations looked like for US travellers so far?
Normally, airlines strive to have at least 80 per cent of their flights depart and arrive within 15 minutes of when they are scheduled. Aviation analytics firm Cirium said that since the shutdown began on 1 October, the total number of delays overall has not fallen significantly below that goal because most of the disruptions so far have been no worse than what happens when a major thunderstorm moves across an airport.
But on Sunday, only about 56 per cent of Newark’s departures were on time, and the Orlando airport reported that only about 70 per cent of its flights were on time, according to Cirium.
Industry groups estimate that more than 3.2 million passengers have already been affected since the shutdown began. On Wednesday alone, 3,884 flights within, into or out of the United States were delayed and another 171 were cancelled.
Airlines are also warning that the chaos could soon hit bookings if travellers lose confidence in the system – especially if the safety of American skies takes a PR hit.
“Every single day that this goes on tomorrow is now less safe than today,” Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, told CNN.
Bryan Bedford, head of the FAA, said further restrictions may be needed if the shutdown continues: “We are seeing pressures build in a way that… will allow us to continue to tell the public that we operate the safest airline system in the world.”
What would US airspace closures mean?
Even a partial closure of US airspace would have widespread consequences because the country’s air traffic control system is highly interconnected.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, air traffic centres handle flights across multiple regions, meaning delays or restrictions at one facility quickly affect others. Industry analysts, including Airlines for America (A4A), have also warned that staffing shortages in one region can cause “nationwide ripple effects” across the network.
If a major centre limits arrivals or departures, those delays cascade through other airports, creating knock-on cancellations and missed connections far from the original problem. And reroutings and reduced capacity across the US could have a huge impact on international schedules, complicating onward travel to Europe and elsewhere.
In a statement following Duffy’s announcement, the US Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman said the decision to reduce flights, while necessary for safety, will “inevitably” lead to longer delays, more cancellations and fewer flights. Freeman also argued that “the fault for this situation rests squarely at the feet of Congress.”
While a full closure isn’t yet on the table, the warning highlights how fragile the system has become after more than a month without funding.
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