The Federal Aviation Administration has announced it’s trimming 10% of scheduled flight capacity across 40 domestic airports to ease the burden on the system caused by the U.S. government shutdown, a move that has the potential to disrupt airlines and hundreds of thousands of travelers daily.
An average of 2.5 million people in the U.S. go through airport security checkpoints every day, a number that will likely tick up heading into the holiday season. And this shutdown, already the longest in U.S. history, is showing no signs of an end coming soon.
Here’s what to expect:
Which airports will be affected?
The FAA has yet to release a list of the 40 airports impacted, but media reports say the list includes main hubs in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas and Washington, to name a few. Other than that, details are scarce.
Government officials previously informed carriers that they would likely have to cut flight capacity by 4% on Friday, with the amount gradually building to 10% sometime next week, people familiar with the plans said.
United Airlines Holdings Inc. announced it’s cutting 4% of flight capacity in the US on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, according to a company spokesman. The cancellations amount to fewer than 200 flights a day.
Government officials said Wednesday that they want to ease the pressure for air traffic controllers, the vital workers who keep air travel safe and on schedule.
The capacity reduction also relieves the pressure on TSA agents at checkpoints and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.
Since the shutdown began, more than 3.4 million passengers have experienced delays and cancellations due to staffing shortages, according to Chris Sununu, president and chief executive officer of industry trade group Airlines for America and former GOP governor of New Hampshire. Reducing foot traffic should help to ease the strain.
Which routes will be impacted?
The measure is expected to impact only domestic flights, though the details could change.
United Airlines Holdings Inc.’s international flights and hub-to-hub flying won’t be affected, CEO Scott Kirby said in a statement. Domestic hubs include Chicago’s O’Hare International, George Bush International in Houston, Denver International, Los Angeles International, San Francisco International, Washington Dulles, and Newark Liberty in the New York area.
“We will focus our schedule reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs,” according to the statement.
Airlines typically beef up seat capacity in November ahead of Thanksgiving, one of the busiest holidays for the industry. With the added capacity, United thinks it will be able to find seats for customers even if their flights are canceled.
American Airlines Group Inc. has also said that the “vast majority” of its customers won’t be affected and international travel “will remain as scheduled.”
And Delta Air Lines Inc. said it expects to run the majority of its flights as scheduled, including long-haul international service. It’s providing “additional flexibility to customers traveling to, from or through the impacted markets,” the company said in a statement.
What if my flight is canceled?
Most airlines haven’t said passengers will get reimbursed if their flight is canceled and the company is unable to accommodate them on another flight. Passengers therefore should pay extra attention when reading the fine print in the coming days.
“Any customer traveling during this period is eligible for a refund if they do not wish to fly — even if their flight isn’t impacted,” the United statement said. That includes nonrefundable tickets and basic economy tickets.
Delta said it will waive cancellation fees and will apply the value toward new tickets. The Atlanta-based company will also waive fees for one-time changes and fare differences, provided they’re for the same fare class and destinations.
Delta expects to cancel about 170 flights on Friday, the company said in a statement.
Frontier Airlines’s CEO Barry Biffle offered advice to ensure passengers make it to their destinations in a LinkedIn post.
“Given the risk of flights cancelling I would suggest passengers buy a backup ticket on another carrier that departs after the first ticket,” he wrote. “That way if your flight cancels you have an immediate backup.”
What should I know before heading to the airport?
As flights get canceled and passengers move to other flights, the competition for seats will increase. In addition to keeping an eye on email and airline websites and apps for updates on your flight, passengers should use early check-in whenever possible to secure your seat.
Early arrival at the gate is also a good idea since checkpoint lines are may get more strained as the shutdown lingers on.
(Adobe Stock)
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