U.S. Flight Cancellations Surge as FAA’s 10% Cut Escalates Amid Government Shutdown
After close to 2,000 cancellations on Saturday, U.S. airlines are dropping even more flights on Sunday.
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The fallout from the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) move to cut flights because of staffing shortages—a direct result of the government shutdown—is snowballing.
After close to 2,000 cancellations on Saturday, U.S. airlines are dropping even more flights on Sunday. Here is the situation as of 8 a.m. EST on Sunday, according to FlightAware:
- Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL): 96 cancellations (8% of its schedule)
- Chicago O’Hare (ORD): 48 cancellations (3% of its schedule)
- Newark Liberty International (EWR): 40 cancellations (7% of its schedule)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW): 38 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)
- Denver International (DEN): 34 cancellations (3% of its total schedule)
Others, including Boston Logan (BOS), LaGuardia (LGA), Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX), Charlotte Douglas (CLT), and Ronald Reagan National (DCA), also reported more than two dozen cancellations each on Sunday. The airline most impacted on Sunday has been Delta Air Lines, which had close to 270 cancellations, 8% of its total schedule, and 60 more than any other carrier.
If Sunday follows the pattern from Saturday, all those numbers are likely to increase as the day goes on.
The goal with the cuts was to keep the air travel system safe as staffing shortages hit Air Traffic Controller (ATC) teams around the country. The plan was to start at about 4% of cancellations on Friday, the first day of the FAA mandate, and then increase that to 10% sometime this week. On Friday evening, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that the 10% number could quickly go up to 20% if the government shutdown does not end.
The record-long shutdown is now in its 40th day, and the U.S.’s air traffic controllers and TSA crew members have now been forced to work without multiple paychecks. Duffy has noted that many have called out, opting instead to pick up a second, paying job.
The question now is how long the cuts, absences, and flight delays will last before something breaks—either for the air traffic system or for Congress. The last major government shutdown, which started in late 2018 and ran into early 2019, is widely thought to have ended largely due to flight disruptions.
Back then, the absences of just 10 air traffic controllers—six in Virginia and four in Florida—and the resulting ripple effect caused New York’s LaGuardia (LGA) airport to shut down completely, while other Northeast airports suffered major delays. Just a few hours later, the White House, without citing the flight issues as the explicit reason, announced that the government would reopen.
Airlines Continue to Offer Flexibility
Most airlines have issued flight change waivers for their travelers because of the disruptions, and all are expected to keep extending them as the shutdown continues. The waivers cover all travelers, even Basic Economy ticket holders, who typically do not get flexible cancellation policies.
Alaska Air Group, which includes Hawaiian Airlines, said that it has been canceling between 36 and 40 flights each day and has been reaccommodating passengers on canceled flights to other available flights or offering a full refund. Its waiver currently runs through Nov. 14.
American Airlines has a waiver that covers travelers flying through Nov. 15 through impacted airports. American is allowing rebooking for new flights through Nov. 16.
Delta Air Lines is allowing flyers who are traveling to, from, or through the impacted markets to cancel or refund their flights without penalty, or change to a new flight through Nov. 16. The waiver currently includes impacted flights through Nov. 14.
JetBlue has a waiver out through Nov. 14. The airline said that if a flight is canceled, it will automatically rebook passengers on the next available flight. Passengers can also opt not to travel and instead receive a full refund. Like others, JetBlue is waiving change fees and fare differences for impacted travelers.
United Airlines has its own waiver out for travel through Nov. 13 through the impacted airports, allowing affected travelers to reschedule their trip without change fees and fare differences. The rescheduled flight must be a United flight departing between six days before and six days after your original travel date.
