Yesterday, the FAA announced plans to cut flights starting today, Friday, November 7th, as the federal government shutdown continues.
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Original plans focused on cutting back flight routes by 10% but have since been scaled back. The Federal Aviation Administration has updated its plans. It will cut flights today by 4%, then rise to 6% by November 11, 8% by November 13, and to 10% by November 14.
That means that, starting today, larger carriers like United and American will cut between 100-240 flights. That number will rise according to the FAA’s slashed flight route plans. The majority of flight changes will affect smaller domestic routes as airlines try to keep their larger, more lucrative international flights in order.
However, should the FAA nix 10% of flights by November 14 (assuming the government shutdown doesn’t end), the total number of canceled flights per day will hover around 4,400.
Why is the FAA reducing flight routes so quickly?
Both ATC and TSA workers are facing difficulties on the job as they enter the sixth week of unpaid work. To clarify, the FAA runs the ATC, while the TSA is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security.
In short, the planned changes by the FAA are designed to relieve overworked and unpaid ATC employees. Many are burnt out by working overtime to cover for understaffing, while some employees have had to take off to seek out paid work.
The goal in slashing flights is to provide immediate relief to ATC centers to reduce the risk of making a costly mistake in the air traffic control tower. In doing so, it will take a bit of an airline’s business—and during one of the busiest times of the year in terms of air travel, too.
Passengers who experience delays or cancellations might be provided with vouchers by airlines, but they aren’t under any obligation to provide them.
