The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) announced on Wednesday, November 5, plans to reduce flight capacity by 10% across 40 major U.S. airports starting tomorrow. The move comes from safety concerns due to low staffing among air traffic controllers during the federal government shutdown that started 36 days ago.

 

"Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible. Reduction in capacity at 40 of our locations. This is not based on light airline travel locations. This is about where the pressure is and how to really deviate the pressure," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford during a press conference. 
 

“We thought 10% was the right number based on the pressure we were seeing,” said DOT Secretary Sean Duffy during the same conference. Earlier this week, Duffy also revealed he could “shut the whole airspace down” if the shutdown continues longer.

The current government shutdown means thousands of federal workers, including air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration officers, have to work unpaid, leaving many of those workers to call off work or quit their jobs entirely. 

Some airports have already been affected, including Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental, which was forced to close half of its security checkpoints following low staffing numbers. The closures generated passenger lines lasting over two hours to access the checkpoint.

 

The late announcement left U.S. airlines little time to plan for these changes. Carriers such as American Airlines and United Airlines released statements clarifying expected changes and impacts starting tomorrow.

“United’s long-haul international and hub-to-hub flights will not be impacted. Instead, the focus is on schedule reductions to regional and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hub airports,” explained United via a social media release. American Airlines provided a similar statement, assuring the “vast majority of customers’ travel will proceed as planned.”

 

Although no major U.S. airline has yet canceled flights due to the federally directed capacity cuts, reductions will likely start affecting customers and flights later this evening as airlines receive guidance from the FAA and DOT and start canceling flights. 

“United and its United Express partners will still offer about 4,000 flights per day to fly our customers to their destinations,” revealed Scott Kirby, United’s CEO.

 

ABC News recently obtained the list of 40 airports to be impacted; it will be added at the end of the article. Ten percent of flights from these 40 airports represent roughly 4,000 daily flights, possibly affecting thousands of passengers in the coming weeks as the government shutdown remains. 

 

The FAA’s decision marks a significant effect of the government shutdown and an important step to maintain safety amid staff shortages among air traffic controllers. The FAA and DOT say they will continue to monitor conditions and adjust as necessary in the weeks ahead. Travelers are advised to check their flight status regularly and arrive at airports early as the situation develops.

 

List of 40 airports affected:

 

• Anchorage Ted Stevens International (ANC)
• Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International (ATL)
• Boston Logan International (BOS)
• Baltimore/Washington International (BWI)
• Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)
• Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG)
• Dallas Love Field (DAL)
• Washington Ronald Reagan National (DCA)
• Denver International (DEN)
• Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)
• Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (DTW)
• Newark Liberty International (EWR)
• Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (FLL)
• Honolulu International (HNL)
• Houston Hobby (HOU)
• Washington Dulles International (IAD)
• Houston George Bush Intercontinental (IAH)
• Indianapolis International (IND)
• New York John F Kennedy International (JFK)
• Las Vegas Harry Reid International (LAS)
• Los Angeles International (LAX)
• New York LaGuardia (LGA) 
• Orlando International (MCO)
• Chicago Midway (MDW)
• Memphis International (MEM)
• Miami International (MIA)
• Minneapolis/St Paul International (MSP)
• Oakland International (OAK)
• Ontario International (ONT)
• Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)
• Portland International (PDX)
• Philadelphia International (PHL)
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)
• San Diego International (SAN)
• Louisville International (SDF)
• Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
• San Francisco International (SFO)
• Salt Lake City International (SLC)
• New York-Teterboro (TEB)
• Tampa International (TPA)