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10% of flights being cut at major U.S. airports
Air travelers nationwide are facing mounting delays and cancellations as the federal government shutdown enters its second month, leaving air traffic controllers unpaid and short-staffed.
LOS ANGELES - Air travelers nationwide are facing mounting delays and cancellations as the federal government shutdown enters its second month, leaving air traffic controllers unpaid and short-staffed.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced emergency plans Wednesday to reduce flights by 10% starting Friday at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports.
Los Angeles International and Ontario International are expected to be on the list. The cuts aim to ease pressure on air traffic control systems strained by the record-long shutdown.
"When we see pressure building in these markets, we can’t just ignore it," said Bryan Bedford, an FAA official. "We’re not going to wait for a security problem to truly manifest itself."
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy added, "This is about where’s the pressure and how do we alleviate the pressure."
At LAX, roughly 8 of the 38 scheduled United Airlines flights were delayed Wednesday night, primarily to Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco.
"It’s been delayed three hours," said Julian Kim, waiting for a connecting flight to San Francisco. "I have a friend in the Midwest delayed five hours."
Leesa Anderson, traveling from Vancouver to Phoenix via Los Angeles, saw her connection canceled, forcing an overnight stay.
"[We’re] waiting for [our] crew to arrive, the flight now departs at 6:45 a.m.," she said. "So I get a little extra sleeping time."
Floyd Livingston, flying from LAX to Australia, was rerouted through San Francisco last week due to staffing issues he linked to the shutdown.
"The staff doesn’t want to show up because they’re not getting paid," Livingston said. "Money talks. Can’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to work for free."
Delays have rippled beyond major hubs. Last week, a FOX 11 crew en route to the World Series in Toronto faced a one-hour delay out of Los Angeles, followed by further holdups in Chicago blamed on "airport limitations." The takeoff line at O’Hare stretched more than a dozen planes long.
The FAA is expected to release a detailed list Thursday of the most impacted airports. Officials warn the reductions could trigger widespread disruptions as the holiday travel season approaches.