- Airlines are scrambling to reduce flights within 36 hours.
- FAA warns more restrictions possible after Friday
- Airline stocks fall as travel disruptions worsen.
WASHINGTON/CHICAGO: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday he would order a 10% reduction in flights at 40 major U.S. airports, citing air traffic control security concerns as the government shutdown reached a record 36 days.
The drastic plan sent airlines scrambling to significantly reduce flights in just 36 hours and passengers flooded airline customer support lines with concerns about air travel in the coming days.
Duffy said the cuts could be reversed if Democrats agree to reopen the government.
This shutdown, the longest in US history, forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 Transportation Security Administration agents to work without pay.
The Trump administration has sought to increase pressure on Democrats to end the shutdown and has increasingly raised the specter of dramatic disruptions to air travel to force them to vote to reopen the government. Democrats argue that Republicans are to blame for their refusal to negotiate major health care subsidies.
Tens of thousands of flights have been delayed since the shutdown began due to widespread air traffic control shortages. Airlines say at least 3.2 million travelers have already been affected by air traffic control shortages
“We’ve been checking instinctively what our job is,” Duffy told reporters, citing a confidential security assessment of the shutdown’s impact on controllers that raises concerns about their performance. “Our job is to make sure we make the tough decisions to continue to keep the airspace safe.”
In a call with major U.S. carriers, the FAA said capacity reductions at airports would start at 4%, rising to 5% on Saturday and 6% on Sunday, before reaching 10% next week, industry sources told Reuters. The FAA also plans to exempt international flights from the reductions.
“When we see pressures mounting in these 40 markets, we simply cannot ignore them,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference. “We can act today to prevent things from getting worse so that the system is extremely safe today and will be extremely safe tomorrow.”
Although the government did not name the 40 airports affected, the reductions are expected to affect the 30 busiest airports, including those serving New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas. That would cut up to 1,800 flights and more than 268,000 airline seats, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
The move aims to ease pressure on air traffic controllers. The FAA is about 3,500 air traffic controllers short of targeted staffing levels and many were working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.
The FAA also warned it could add more flight restrictions after Friday if new air traffic problems arise.
Airlines for America, a trade group representing major U.S. carriers such as Delta DAL.N, United UAL.O, American and Southwest LUV.N, said its members were trying to figure out next steps.
“We are working with the federal government to understand the full details of the new reduction mandate and will work to mitigate impacts to passengers and shippers,” he said.
Officials said nothing would be final until the FAA issues an order Thursday.
The federal government has essentially shut down as Republicans and Democrats are locked in an impasse in Congress over a funding bill. Democrats insisted they would not approve a plan that did not expand health insurance subsidies, while Republicans rejected it.
President Donald Trump and Republicans have tried to increase pressure on Democrats by increasing the pain felt by the average American from the government shutdown.
The shutdown, which began Oct. 1, left many low-income Americans without food assistance, closed many government services and resulted in the layoffs of about 750,000 federal employees.
Duffy warned Tuesday that if the federal government shutdown continues for another week, it could lead to “massive chaos” and force him to close part of the national airspace to air traffic.
Airlines have repeatedly called for an end to the shutdown, citing risks to air safety.
Airline stocks fall
Shares of major airlines, including United and American, were down about 1% in extended trading.
Airlines said the shutdown had not significantly affected their businesses, but warned that bookings could fall if the shutdown continues. More than 2,100 flights were delayed on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Bedford said 20 to 40 percent of controllers at the agency’s 30 largest airports were not showing up for work.
Duffy said authorities would also limit space launches to certain times of day and should impose restrictions on general aviation flights.
