The Federal Aviation Administration will reduce air traffic by 10% across 40 major U.S. markets starting Friday morning to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown, the agency announced Wednesday.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the move comes as the agency faces staffing shortages among air traffic controllers, many of whom are working without pay and calling out during the now 37-day shutdown.
The result has been nationwide delays and mounting pressure on the system.
Airlines have started to respond to the FAA’s plan.
Alaska Airlines:
“We’re aware of the Federal Aviation Administration’s announced plan to reduce flights potentially as soon as Friday as a result of staffing shortages due to the ongoing government shutdown. We’re staying close to the FAA and awaiting further guidance. More information will be shared as it becomes available, and we continue to call for an end to the government shutdown.”
American Airlines:
In a travel alert on their website, American Airlines told travelers, “American Airlines is actively monitoring the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) planned flight reductions and evaluating potential impacts to our schedule. We are committed to keeping our customers informed and will communicate any changes as soon as possible.”
Adding in a news release:
“Due to the ongoing government shutdown and nationwide air traffic control staffing shortages, the FAA has directed airlines to reduce flight schedules to maintain safe airspace operations beginning Friday, Nov. 7. Flights on Thursday, Nov. 6, will operate as planned. While we are awaiting additional information from the FAA to determine which flights will be impacted, we expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected. As schedule changes are made, we will proactively reach out to customers who are impacted. As always, we encourage all customers to check their flight status on aa.com or the mobile app. In the meantime, we continue to urge leaders in Washington to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown."
Frontier Airlines:
“On November 5, the Department of Transportation (DOT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directed all airlines, including Frontier, to reduce their schedules during the government shutdown. These reductions will start on Friday, November 7.
During these reductions, we expect most Frontier flights will operate as planned. Where changes to flight schedules are necessary, we will proactively communicate with impacted customers via email, text, and the Frontier mobile app. Customers whose flights are canceled or delayed for more than 3 hours (domestic flights) or 6 hours (international flights) are able to rebook or to request a refund here.
We have also issued a flexible travel policy for any customer traveling during this period who would like to change or cancel their travel plans. Details are available below. Changes or cancellations can be made here or on the Frontier mobile app.
Before heading to the airport, check the Frontier mobile app or our Flight Status page for the latest flight status updates. Our team is working around the clock to minimize disruption to your travel plans."
CEO Barry Biffle advised travelers, “If you are flying Friday or in the next ten days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier.”
For more information from Frontier on delayed or canceled flights and their travel policies, click here.
Southwest Airlines:
“Southwest Airlines® is evaluating how the planned FAA flight reductions, announced on November 5 and expected to begin November 7, will affect our schedule. Southwest will communicate directly with Customers as soon as possible. Nothing is more important to Southwest® than the Safety of our Customers and Employees.
We know that these FAA-imposed cancellations can impact an important moment in your life. We appreciate your understanding."
For more information on what to expect if your Southwest Airlines flight is canceled, or to review your options, click here.
United Airlines:
On their website, United has an advisory notifying travelers, “We’re making updates to our schedule and will let you know if your flight is affected as soon as possible. Check your flight status."
CEO Scott Kirby also shared a letter directed towards United employees:
“United team:
Earlier today, the FAA and DOT directed every airline to reduce their schedules during the government shutdown, across 40 domestic airports.
The FAA’s goal is to relieve pressure on the aviation system so that we can all continue to operate safely. That is the FAA’s highest priority, and ours as well. No matter what environment we’re operating in, we will not compromise on safety.
These reductions will start on Friday, November 7, and we will continue to make rolling updates to our schedule as the government shutdown continues so we can give our customers several days’ advance notice and to minimize disruption for them and for all of you.
United’s long-haul international flying and our hub-to-hub flying will not be impacted by this schedule reduction direction from the FAA. That’s important to maintain the integrity of our network, give impacted customers as many options as possible to resume their trip, and sustain our crew pairing systems.
Instead, we will focus our schedule reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs.
We’ll use our app, website and push notifications to communicate to customers directly if their flight changes, and to offer rebooking options. We want to provide them with as much information as we can and in a way that’s simple and easy to understand.
And importantly, 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. That includes non-refundable tickets and those customers with basic economy tickets.
Even with these schedule reductions, United and its United Express partners will still offer about 4,000 flights per day to fly our customers to their destinations. And because of the early November timing, our flights have more seats available than before the summer, meaning we should be able to find seats for many customers even if their flight is canceled.
Finally, thank you for going above and beyond during this government shutdown to take care of our customers and one another. Your professionalism and care will be more important than ever in the days ahead.
Scott"
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