Federal Authorities Cuts Back US Air Travel as Shutdown Continues

With the unprecedented federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US airspace is about to get a little less busy. Contrastingly for US terminals.

Safety Measures Implemented

The current administration's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced air travel is being curtailed to maintain air traffic control security during the federal government shutdown, setting a new duration record and with no apparent progress of a solution between conservative legislators and Democrats to end the federal budget deadlock.

Flight oversight bodies pinpointed “high-volume markets” where the FAA says air traffic requires reduction by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, an action that will compel airlines to call off thousands of journeys and trigger a cascade of scheduling problems and delays at major US air terminals.

Administration Remarks

Trump’s transportation chief, Sean Duffy, commented on social media Thursday that the action was “not politically driven” but rather “concerned with reviewing the data and reducing growing safety concerns in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“Flying is safe today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the forward-thinking steps we are taking,” the official added.

Travel Disruptions

Experts predict hundreds if not thousands of flights could be canceled. The cuts could represent up to 1,800 flights and over 268,000 seats combined, based on an calculation by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Impacted Locations

The involved terminals including over 25 states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including Georgia's capital, Charlotte, Colorado's hub, Dallas/Fort Worth, Orlando, California gateway, MIA and Bay Area airport. Among key urban centers – including NYC, Texas city and Illinois hub – several air terminals will be affected.

Each of the three air terminals serving the nation's capital region – IAD, BWI and DCA – will be affected, inevitably causing flight disruptions for government officials as well as other travelers.

Related Updates

• Below is the roster of domestic airports decreasing flights on Friday as a result of federal government shutdown.
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• Some Democratic legislators interpreted Tuesday’s big electoral wins as evidence they should maintain their position and gain maximum concessions from GOP members before approving the termination of the record-breaking budget standoff in history.
• Democrats praised Nancy Pelosi as a “heroic, trailblazing” member of the US House of Representatives, an “legend” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, subsequent to her announcement that following two decades in Congress she intends to step down.
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