SEATAC, Wash. — Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) began experiencing the impact of nationwide flight cancellations today, with more than two dozen flights canceled at SEA early this morning and more cancellations likely throughout the day.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation ordered the reduction in flights at 40 airports, including SEA, as part of measures to mitigate the effects of the ongoing government shutdown.
The FAA says that the cuts in air traffic were necessary for safety as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay due to the government shutdown, have been calling out sick, leading to staffing shortages. The AP reports that many have been working six days a week with mandatory overtime.
The flight reductions started with a 4% cut today and are expected to increase to 6% by Tuesday, 8% by Thursday, and 10% by next Friday.
Some airlines are currently waiving fees for changing flights, but travelers are concerned about the continuing impact on upcoming holiday travel.
“Hopefully they get it figured out by Thanksgiving or before the holidays because that’s going to impact a lot of travelers,” said Gabriel Lopez, a traveler whose flight from SEA was canceled and rescheduled. He got the flight change notification at 2 a.m. on Friday. He was originally slated to arrive at his destination at 2 p.m. on Friday, but is now set to arrive hours later, at roughly 5 p.m.
“We were going to go visit my sister in Denver. We’re deciding if we’re going to cancel because we’re afraid we can’t get back,” said Marla Silva, who is reconsidering her Thanksgiving travel plans with her partner, Patrick. The two live in Hawaii and were traveling through SEA this morning, and said they both know the risks the shutdown can pose to flying at the moment.
The website Flightaware, which tracks cancellations and delays, had listed 33 delays at SEA and 27 cancellations, numbers that will fluctuate and likely increase throughout the day.
Flight cuts will ramp up over the next week, and SEA could see around 100 flights cut by next Friday when the 10% reduction kicks in.
Travel experts advise booking directly with airlines and avoiding layovers to make it easier to change flights if necessary. They also recommend contacting airlines proactively, either through apps or customer service lines, to manage cancellations. Some even said to call international customer service lines if they had difficulty getting through to customer service representatives.
SEA has advised travelers to check in with their airlines for updates and to arrive two hours ahead of domestic flights and three hours ahead for international flights, which is relatively standard, to grant passengers extra time to sort things out should delays, disruptions, or cancellations pop up.
Major airlines such as American, Delta, United, Southwest, and Frontier are temporarily providing waivers to change flights without fees.
For a rundown of what each airline has shared with customers, click here.
With flight reductions set to increase, travelers are advised to stay informed and plan ahead to minimize disruptions during the busy holiday season. The situation remains fluid as the government shutdown continues to affect air travel across the country.
Some travelers, like John Lang, who was flying to San Jose from Seattle on Friday, decided that the hassle for the holidays might not be worth it if the government shutdown persists through to Thanksgiving.
“I wouldn’t touch Thanksgiving in a line here for nothing. Not for the leftovers, and I like cranberry sauce!” said Lang.
To learn what you can do if your travel plans are impacted, click here.
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