US hits turbulence: Government shutdown taking toll on airports

Hundreds of thousands of American travelers face a chaotic day Friday as the government shutdown forced a drastic reduction in air traffic across the country due to staff shortages, as reported by government officials and airlines.

The three airports in New York and Washington, as well as those in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Boston, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Dallas, are among those most affected by the shutdown.

The Department of Transportation announced that, as of Friday, 10% of flights will be reduced at 40 of the country's major airports, in an attempt to "relieve pressure before an accident occurs."

Thousands of daily cancellations

The country's three largest airlines: American Airlines, United Airlines and Delta, confirmed heavy cutbacks in their operations to AFP. American will cancel about 220 flights a day over the weekend; United about 200 flights between Friday and Saturday; and Delta anticipates about 170 cancellations of its 5,000 daily departures.

The crisis comes at the height of the peak travel season, with the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving just around the corner, which could exacerbate the impact on passengers.

Air traffic controllers without pay

The budget impasse, the longest in the nation's history, has left tens of thousands of federal employees, including 14,000 air traffic controllers and airport security agents, without pay.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), half of the nation’s 40 major airports are short-staffed, and in New York nearly 80% of air traffic controllers are absent.

Although the government has assured that federal employees affected by the shutdown will receive back pay once the budget is restored, the immediate impact is severe. For weeks without pay, thousands of workers at key agencies, such as the FAA and TSA, face financial hardship that forces them to seek temporary jobs or go into debt to cover basic expenses.

Domestic flights affected

The companies specified that cancellations will be concentrated on domestic and regional routes. Long-haul international flights will continue to operate normally, as will routes between major airline hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco and Washington Dulles.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned in an interview with Fox News that the situation could worsen. The organization also noted that the reduction could result in the cancellation of 1800 flights a day, affecting up to 268,000 seats per day.

At this point, airlines have offered their customers the possibility of changing their dates or requesting refunds without penalty. However, uncertainty continues to grow.

Three-plus-hour delays in Newark due to the government shutdown

Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, reported delays of up to three and a half hours for flights Thursday due to a shortage of air traffic control personnel caused by the historic government shutdown.

According to the FAA, passengers flying into Newark overnight faced average waits of more than three hours, while those departing from the airport were warned of additional delays of at least 45 minutes beginning at 7 p.m.

Officials anticipate that other airports in the New York area will begin to experience significant cutbacks and delays over the next 24 hours, as the impact of the shutdown spreads throughout the national air system.

The government shutdown is keeping much of the federal administration without funds, and the consequences are beginning to be felt in one of the country's most sensitive systems: air traffic control.

If the crisis drags on, chaos at airports could become the most visible symbol of a government that is literally grounded.