The U.S. Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, issued a warning on Friday that if the government shutdown persisted, airlines might be mandated to reduce up to 20% of their flights. As a result of orders from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines had already cut back four per cent of their domestic flights at 40 major airports to alleviate pressure on air traffic controllers, with further reductions to reach 10% by November 14.
Addressing reporters, Duffy mentioned the potential for implementing 20% cuts later, emphasizing that decisions would be data-driven. The prolonged shutdown, lasting 38 days, led to 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners working without pay, resulting in increased absenteeism. FAA administrator Bryan Bedford reported that between 20 to 40% of controllers were absent daily.
The Trump administration aimed to push Democrats in Congress to accept a Republican proposal to fund the government, thus ending the shutdown. Democrats argued that Republicans were responsible for the shutdown due to their refusal to negotiate on extending health insurance subsidies. Meanwhile, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, criticized the shutdown’s impact on air travel, highlighting numerous flight cancellations ahead of the holiday season.
Notably, the current flight reductions affected around 700 flights operated by major carriers like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines. While the cuts were set to increase to six per cent, they excluded international flights. The air traffic controller absences resulted in flight delays at various airports, including Atlanta, San Francisco, and Houston.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom expressed concerns about potential disruptions from increased flight cancellations, emphasizing the growing challenge it posed for customers. Airlines like United took measures to rebook affected passengers promptly. Duffy justified the reductions as necessary for maintaining safety amid exhausted and absent air traffic controllers.
The FAA also mentioned the possibility of rejecting specific cuts if they disproportionately affected certain communities. Additionally, restrictions on space launches and a warning of potential cuts to general aviation flights at high-traffic airports were issued in light of staffing issues.
