The current U.S. government shutdown, which started on October 1, has already caused major chaos in U.S. air travel. As of Saturday, the shutdown stands at an unprecedented 39 days. It affects nearly 1.4 million federal employees, many of whom are working without pay or have been placed on mandatory unpaid leave. As a result, the entire country has been a hotbed for mass flight cancellations and delays.
As of early Saturday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced more than 1,000 flight cancellations. These cancellations disrupted travel on thousands of flights to, from, and within the United States. Almost 4,000 flights were delayed across the globe. Meanwhile, arrivals were delayed by more than 4 hours on average, and departures were delayed by almost 1.5 hours. As a first step, the FAA has started to slowly reduce flight operations. They began with a 4% cut on Friday and intend to increase that to 6% by November 11, 8% by November 13, and arrive at a final reduction of 10% by November 14.
Airports throughout the country are facing historic operational slashes. Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey is seeing some of the worst delays as a direct consequence. Departures to all their major hubs saw heavy delays. Departures to John F. Kennedy International Airport experienced delays of almost three hours, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport over 2.5 hours, and LaGuardia Airport about one-hour delays. In fact, the airports hit worst by cancellations on Saturday were Charlotte/Douglas International, Newark Liberty International, and Chicago O’Hare International.
The reality today looks a lot like those shutdowns of the past. For example, during the 2018 government shutdown, nearly one out of every 10 Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel decided to call in sick rather than report to work without pay. The FAA’s recent announcement on reducing flight schedules has raised concerns about travel disruptions among consumers and industry observers alike. This shutdown is occurring right before one of the busiest travel seasons in the U.S. with Thanksgiving on November 27th.
Many federal workers are still reeling from the impact of that shutdown. Get ready for more air travel disruptions as flight cancellations now dramatically increase. Travelers are encouraged to monitor their flight status and possible delays and cancellations as conditions change.