FAA To Cut Thousands Of Flights At 40 Major U.S. Airports

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Travelers, brace yourselves. Starting tomorrow, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will begin cutting scheduled flight capacity by 10% across 40 major airports, citing mounting strain on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1.

  • Brace for impact: The reductions — expected during peak hours, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. — will likely eliminate thousands of daily flights across major hubs, including New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, and Los Angeles, according to officials. Pretty much all major U.S. airports. Here’s the list.

Today marks Day 37 of the record-long shutdown, and there was hope that Democrats’ sweeping election victories on Tuesday might help break the gridlock in Washington. Late Thursday, Politico reported Senate Majority Leader John Thune told fellow Republicans he plans to hold a vote Friday on to fund the government through January, which he believes will have the support of enough Democrats to pass though the deal could still take days to hammer out.

BUT, IS IT SAFE TO FLY?
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is cutting flights to avoid any safety problems. “Early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating, so the system is extremely safe today,” he said.

  • Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that the air system is becoming riskier, as controllers pick up second jobs to make ends meet during the shutdown.

    • The profession was already under strain due to national staffing shortages and aging infrastructure in control towers.

Bottom line: If this continues through Thanksgiving, holiday travel will be a nightmare. Expect the pressure to build for the Senate to strike a deal ASAP.

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