Travellers across the United States are facing significant disruption as the longest government shutdown on record forces drastic cuts to commercial air traffic. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered a reduction in flights at major airports to maintain safety as air traffic controllers work without pay. The reductions began at 4% and will increase to 10% by 14 November, affecting operations between 6am and 10pm.
More than 800 US-linked flights had been cancelled by Friday morning, according to FlightAware, with about four in five global cancellations related to the US. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned cancellations could rise to 15% or 20% if the shutdown continues. He announced 40 'high-traffic' airports, including JFK in New York and LAX in Los Angeles, would need to reduce flights, impacting international air traffic.
Airlines including United, Southwest and Delta began cancelling flights on Thursday evening. United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would make rolling updates to minimise disruption, while Delta said it expects to operate the vast majority of its flights as scheduled. The aviation analytics firm Cirium estimated the cuts could represent up to 1,800 flights and 268,000 seats.
The shutdown, which began last month after a breakdown between Republicans and Democrats over spending plans, has left air traffic controllers unpaid. A potential agreement to reopen the government appeared to crumble on Friday after Senate Democrats rejected a proposal linking stopgap funding to full-year appropriations bills. The disruption comes two weeks before the Thanksgiving holiday, typically the busiest travel period, raising pressure on lawmakers to reach a deal.
