Flight Cancellations Surge Again, as Government Shutdown Looks Likely to End

Monday is proving to be another nightmare for air travelers across the U.S.

After more than 4,500 flights were canceled over the weekend and another 17,000 delayed, problems were piling up at the nation’s airports again on Monday—the fourth day of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive to curb air travel amid the government shutdown.

While not all of these are due directly to the shutdown, here is the situation as of 7 a.m. EST on Monday morning, according to FlightAware:

• Chicago O’Hare International (ORD): 123 cancellations (9% of departures)
• Chicago Midway International (MDW): 71 cancellations (25% of departures)
• Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL): 65 cancellations (5% of departures)
• LaGuardia (LGA): 61 cancellations (11% of departures)
• Newark Liberty International (EWR): 46 cancellations (8% of departures)

It’s not just those airports that are being hit on Monday, but those are the five with the most cancellations. Those numbers, and numbers from other airports, are likely to increase as Monday rolls on, just as they have throughout this past weekend.

Most airlines are continuing to offer their guests flexibility amid the shutdown. American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United, and more have all put in change fee waivers for their flyers, giving them the option to reschedule their flights without penalty or cancel them and receive a full refund.

Private Jet Travel Cut at 12 Airports

On Monday, the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) said that the FAA would “effectively prohibit” private jet travel at 12 airports starting today, opting to keep resources for commercial airlines.

Those 12 airports are: Chicago O’Hare, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Logan International, George Bush Intercontinental, Atlanta Hartsfield, JFK International, Los Angeles International, Newark, Phoenix Sky Harbor, Ronald Reagan National, and Seattle-Tacoma.

“Safety is the cornerstone of business aviation, and NBAA is fully committed to ensuring the safety of the NAS,” NBAA president and CEO CEO Ed Bolen said. “Among the ways we will do that is to ensure business aviation operators have an understanding of these restrictions and their implications.

Shutdown May End Soon

The 41-day shutdown looks like it may be coming to an end soon. Eight Senate Democrats joined Republicans late on Sunday to advance a bill that would fund the government into January. The Senate is set to reconvene at 11 a.m. on Monday to finish voting, and the House will have to follow after, but the news means that it’s likely the shutdown is nearing its conclusion, even as it continues to set records.

How long it takes for things to return to some level of normalcy after that remains to be seen. The shutdown has stretched the U.S.’s air traffic system to the brink, and the busiest time of the year for travel, the Thanksgiving Holiday, is just two weeks away.

When the shutdown ends, it should mean an eventual end to the FAA directive to cut flights 10% at 40 of the nation’s airports. That directive started on Friday, and after cuts of around 4% on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, the aim was to hit 10% at some point this week. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said that the 10% number could eventually go up to 20% depending on how longer the shutdown lasted.

There are still questions over the longer-term impact of the shutdown on the travel industry. Experts have long said that the FAA is about 4,000 air traffic controllers (ATCs) short, and with the shutdown slowing down recruiting and training of new ATCs, the shutdown could be harming not just air travel’s present, but its future, too.