Hundreds of Flights Canceled as FAA Cuts Begin Amid Government Shutdown

Hundreds of U.S. flights are being canceled on Friday as the air travel system adjusts to the initial phase of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) mandated schedule reductions.

The FAA announced Wednesday that it had decided to cut 10% of flights at the 40 busiest U.S. airports to maintain safety for those traveling, as the government shutdown forces air traffic controllers (ATCs) to work without pay for an increasingly extended period of time. The FAA’s goal is to reduce the number of flights for ATCs to manage, helping to keep the skies safe amid staffing shortages.

As of 7 a.m. EST, these airports were seeing the most cancellations, according to FlightAware:
– Chicago O’Hare (ORD): 40 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)
– Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL): 38 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)
– Denver International (DEN): 35 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)
– Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): 31 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)
– Los Angeles International (LAX): 27 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)

Those cancellations, specific to the FAA directive, are expected to remain around this level on Friday, but they will increase should the shutdown last into next week. The FAA said it is working with major U.S. airlines to reach 10% of total cancellations by sometime next week, starting at about 3% today and ramping up from there.

Most of the cancellations are expected to target shorter flights. Flights between major cities or hubs, along with long-haul international flights, will most likely stay on track, but those going to secondary markets that serve fewer travelers are more likely to be cut.

Airline Policy and Waivers

All airlines, which are reaching out to travelers if they are impacted, are mandated to allow impacted travelers to rebook or offer a refund, even if they are booked on a basic economy fare. Still, most are offering travelers some flexibility if they want to change their flight in light of the disruptions. 

Alaska Air Group, which includes Hawaiian Airlines, said that passengers on canceled flights will be reaccommodated on other flights as available or offered a full refund. The carrier also committed to notifying all passengers whose flights are impacted directly.

Unlike some others, the airline group also committed to keeping routes to smaller communities in Alaska or Hawaii on its schedule. “As we assessed the FAA’s directive and our schedule, we worked to ensure smaller and remote communities that are reliant upon air travel are protected,” the group said.

American Airlines has a waiver that covers travelers flying through Nov. 14 through impacted airports. American is allowing rebooking for new flights through Nov. 16.

Delta Air Lines, which says it has finalized all planned FAA-directed cancellations for today and tomorrow, is allowing flyers who are traveling to, from, or through the impacted markets to cancel or refund their flights without penalty, or change to a new flight through Nov. 16.

JetBlue has a waiver out through Nov. 10. The airline said Wednesday that if a flight is canceled, it will automatically rebook passengers on the next available flight. Passengers can also opt not to travel and instead receive a full refund. Like other carriers, JetBlue is waiving change fees and fare differences for impacted travelers.

United Airlines has its own waiver out for travel through Nov. 13 through the impacted airports, allowing affected travelers to reschedule their trip without change fees and fare differences. The rescheduled flight must be a United flight departing between six days before and six days after your original travel date.

What’s Next?

The government shutdown, as of Friday, is now in its 38th day and is the longest shutdown in history. Reports broke from some political news sites on Friday suggested that the two sides were getting closer to a deal, but Politico has since reported that a deal isn’t likely, despite another vote scheduled for Friday.

Friday was just Day 1 of the FAA’s directive to cut flights, and there is some thought that as the cuts escalate, Congress will be forced into making a deal. The last major government shutdown, which started in late 2018 and ran into early 2019, is widely thought to have ended largely due to flight disruptions.

Back then, the absences of just 10 air traffic controllers—six in Virginia and four in Florida—and the resulting ripple effect caused New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) airport to shut down completely, while other Northeast airports suffered major delays. Just a few hours later, the White House, without citing the flight issues as the explicit reason, announced that the government would reopen.

The pressure will ramp up on Congress, too, should the shutdown last into the Thanksgiving travel week. The U.S. is just 20 days from Thanksgiving, the busiest travel time of the year.