SEATAC, Wash. — Travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are facing increasing flight delays and cancellations as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) continues to cut flights due to staffing shortages caused by the ongoing government shutdown.
The FAA began reducing flights by 4% at 40 major airports last Friday. The cuts are set to increase to 6% on Tuesday with further reductions planned if the shutdown persists.
This has led to significant disruptions for travelers, with 57 flights canceled at SEA on Monday, according to FlightAware.
“It’s unacceptable, honestly. I think the government shutdown is... It’s unbelievable,” said traveler Landon Wright, expressing frustration over the situation.
Phyllis Smith, another traveler, shared her concerns, stating, “With the government shut down, I’m pissed.” She and her husband arrived early at the airport to avoid potential issues.
“Some of our family members actually canceled. Because they have small children and they didn’t want to deal with it. And just the fact that this is all stemming around the government shutdown is very frustrating,” Phyllis added.
Aviation analyst John Nance explained the challenges ahead, noting, “This is not going to be like flipping a switch to turn the whole thing back on. It’s going to take time. Airplanes and crews are going to be in the wrong place.”
The FAA’s decision to cut flights is part of a broader response to the ongoing government shutdown, which has left air traffic controllers working without pay.
“It’s going to actually take longer than that for some of the controllers who’ve had to have second jobs who are exhausted to get themselves back up to speed,” said Nance.
With Thanksgiving approaching, Nance expressed hope that if the government resumes operations by midweek next week, the holiday travel season might be spared from severe disruptions.
“If the government gets back in business by midweek next week, I think we’re going to be spared most of the difficulty of the holiday season being interrupted by the disruptions that have occurred,” Nance added.
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