The current US government shutdown started last month after a budgetary standoff between Republicans and Democrats over plans to cut spending on social programs. Consequently, the air travel industry has been thrown into considerable chaos. As of Friday morning, over 800 flights with US airlines were canceled, according to FlightAware. That’s before things really begin to deteriorate, as airports rush in execution mode to implement draconian cuts across their operations.
Yet the shutdown has forced air traffic controllers nationwide to work without pay. Yet this has created a ripple effect that works against the entire aviation industry. According to reports, the federal government has produced a shortage of nearly 3,000 air traffic controllers. This shortage is increasing the supply chain delays and cancellations we’re seeing. Further, at least 11,000 air traffic controllers are considered essential workers. This impasse has resulted in them receiving zero wages while doing so.
Then in 9 September US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy declared that 40 “high-density” airports would now be compelled to cut flights. On this list are several of the biggest hubs in the country—Atlanta, Charlotte, Denver, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Clean initial analysis indicates a 4% direct cut to operations at these airports. Look for this reduction to increase to 10% in the week ahead.
Airlines are particularly squeezed by the shutdown. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Delta Airlines started cancelling flights. The federal government put forth an unprecedented order restricting commercial air operations. This step would result in the cancellation of as many as 1,800 flights and nearly 268,000 total seats.
This would be unprecedented, said Bryan Bedford, an industry veteran. “In my 35-year history in the aviation market, I’m not aware of a situation where we’ve had to take these kinds of measures.” He emphasized that airlines are witnessing “signs of stress in the system,” prompting proactive reductions in flight numbers to ensure safe travel for passengers.
The timing of the shutdown couldn’t be worse. Yet it does so only two weeks before Thanksgiving, the busiest travel day for millions of Americans. As of Friday that threat of an even greater disruption loomed large. Negotiations between the political parties broke down again, with no agreement in sight. Democrats in the Senate rejected a proposal that would have linked a stopgap funding bill to three full-year appropriations bills.
“In the meantime, we continue to urge leaders in Washington to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown,” – American Airlines.
Even United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby couldn’t deny the pernicious effect of the current situation on scheduling. He stated, “We will continue to make rolling updates to our schedule as the government shutdown continues so we can give our customers several days’ advance notice and to minimize disruption.”
With the shutdown continuing into a fourth week, the aviation industry is headed into new and unknown territory. Bedford reflects on this critical moment: “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.” All of this has created a much tighter operational environment for airlines. Yet despite all of these challenges, their employees are working ceaselessly to continue providing quality service to their passengers.