The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has mandated that, beginning today, flights across America will be reduced at 40 airports due to the ongoing government shutdown.
According to the agency, the flight reductions are being implemented due to safety issues stemming from a shortage of air traffic controllers, who are not being paid during the shutdown.
The reductions are expected to lead to a wave of flight cancellations, the number of which is set to increase every day between now and November 14. Here’s what you need to know about the flight reductions, including the full list and a map of the 40 airports affected.
Why is the FAA mandating flight reductions?
The FAA says it has safety concerns stemming from the ongoing government shutdown, which began on October 1 and is the longest US government shutdown in history.
Hundreds of thousands of government workers have been furloughed without pay during the shutdown. But some federal employees, including air traffic controllers, are designated as essential workers. Those workers are required to stay on the job during a shutdown, though their pay is paused.
The problem is that those essential workers still have bills to pay, so as the shutdown drags on, necessity dictates that some are resigning to take on other paid roles in the private sector, while others are calling in sick.
Fewer air traffic controllers and other essential airport staff reporting to work means the risk to flier safety increases. To help mitigate that growing risk, the FAA has now decided to restrict a select number of flights at 40 U.S. airports.
What are the specifics of the FAA’s flight reductions?
In a notice posted to the FAA’s website yesterday, the agency said that it would initiate a 10% reduction in flights at 40 U.S. airports starting today, Friday, November 7.
However, the reductions will be phased in gradually over the next week. The first reduction begins today, with the full 10% taking effect a week later. Here is how the reduction phases will work:
- Friday, November 7: 4% reduction in flight operations
- Tuesday, November 11: 6% reduction in flight operations
- Thursday, November 13: 8% reduction in flight operations
- Friday, November 14: 10% reduction in flight operations
Announcing the reductions, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said that the agency was “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.”
He also warned that the FAA will not hesitate to take further action if needed.
What airports are affected by the FAA reductions?
Most of the major airports in the country are impacted by the reductions, including central hubs like John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
The full list of airports affected is as follows:
- 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
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What flights will be reduced?
If your flight is among the reductions, it will be canceled.
But it appears that those cancellations will not be decided by the FAA itself. Instead, it will be left up to the airlines to decide which flights they will cut to meet their reduction requirements.
In the memo the FAA posted, the agency states that “The order does not require a reduction in international flights. Carriers may use their own discretion to decide which flights are canceled to reach the order’s goal.”
Can I get a refund if my flight is canceled?
Yesterday, Fast Company reported that many major U.S. airlines, including United Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta Air Lines, confirmed that they would issue full refunds to passengers whose flights are canceled. However, other airlines remained silent on the matter.
But now it appears airlines will not have a choice in the matter. The FAA’s memo states that “Airlines will be required to issue full refunds.”
However, the FAA says airlines will not be responsible for covering secondary costs, such as hotel stays.
That means if your flight is canceled, you can get a full refund from the airline, but if that cancellation requires you to stay at a local hotel until you can get on another flight, the airline will not be responsible for covering your hotel costs.
Will flight cancellations get worse?
That remains to be seen and is largely dependent on how long the government shutdown drags on.
What’s certain is that cancellations will increase from today until next Friday, when the full 10% reduction order takes effect. But there is no guarantee that reductions will remain capped at 10%.
The FAA says that “Decisions to increase or decrease these flight reductions will be informed by safety data.”