The Federal Aviation Administration’s move to cut commercial air traffic at 40 airports by as much as 10%, beginning Friday, is expected to have wide-ranging impacts in California and across the nation.
The cuts have been prompted by the government shutdown, which has left air traffic controllers working without pay. FAA officials say the goal is to maintain travel safety. Since the shutdown began Oct. 1, nearly 13,000 air traffic controllers have been working unpaid — or calling out sick.
With growing fatigue among controllers, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said he did not want to wait until staffing pressures compromised safety.
What will change?
As many as 1,800 flights a day across the country could be canceled.
The cuts could affect about 1,800 flights and 268,000 passengers in the U.S. a day, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. About 72 flights a day could be cut at Los Angeles International Airport alone, affecting 12,371 passengers a day, Cirium estimated. An additional 105 flights could be canceled at the four other California airports targeted for reductions.
What airports will be impacted?
The FAA has not commented publicly. But here is a list from the Associated Press:
1. Anchorage International in Alaska
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia
3. Boston Logan International in Massachusetts
4. Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland
5. Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina
6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Ohio
7. Dallas Love Field in Texas
8. Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia
9. Denver International in Colorado
10. Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas
11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan
12. Newark Liberty International in New Jersey
13. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida
14. Honolulu International in Hawaii
15. Houston Hobby in Texas
16. Washington Dulles International in Virginia
17. George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas
18. Indianapolis International in Indiana
19. John F. Kennedy International in New York
20. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas
21. Los Angeles International in California
22. LaGuardia Airport in New York
23. Orlando International in Florida
24. Chicago Midway International in Illinois
25. Memphis International in Tennessee
26. Miami International in Florida
27. Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota
28. Oakland International in California
29. Ontario International in California
30. Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois
31. Portland International in Oregon
32. Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania
33. Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona
34. San Diego International in California
35. Louisville International in Kentucky
36. Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington
37. San Francisco International in California
38. Salt Lake City International in Utah
39. Teterboro in New Jersey
40. Tampa International in Florida
When will the reductions begin to show?
A shortage of air traffic controllers has caused delays for weeks, including at LAX and Burbank airport. But officials said the flight reductions will begin Friday and continue until they amount to a 10% cut.
Officials urged passengers to check with airlines for the status of their flights but warned flights could be canceled with little notice.
- The FAA has a website that tracks national airspace issues.
- Experts advise monitoring your airline websites and getting alerts to your phone.
- Here are more tips.
Officials said the decision to cut flights was motivated by data about what areas faced the greatest staffing pressures that could compromise safety.
“This is not based on what airline … has more flights out of what location,” Duffy said. “This is about where is the pressure, and how do we alleviate the pressure?”
What about international flights?
International flights are expected to be exempt from the cuts. But passengers making connecting flights before they head overseas could face issues as the cuts target several of the nation’s busiest hubs, including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando and Miami.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
