The FAA’s order to cut flights due to the government shutdown is set to take effect : NPR

The map above shows the 40 airports that could be affected by FAA cuts and flight cancellations caused by the current government shutdown.

Phil Holm/AP

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Phil Holm/AP

The Federal Aviation Administration’s unprecedented order to reduce flights nationwide due to the record government shutdown is set to take effect Friday morning.

The 40 airports selected by the FAA cover more than two dozen states and include hubs such as Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles and Charlotte, North Carolina, according to the order.

In some metropolitan areas, including New York, Houston, Chicago and Washington, multiple airports will be affected, while ripple effects could also affect smaller airports.

Airlines scrambled to adjust their schedules and began canceling flights Thursday in anticipation of the official FAA order, while travelers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to hear whether their flights would take off as planned.

More than 780 flights have been canceled nationwide, according to FlightAware. Delta Air Lines said it would cut about 170 flights Friday, and American Airlines planned to cut 220 flights a day through Monday.

The FAA said the reductions would start at 4% and increase to 10% by November 14. They are expected to be in effect between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and affect all commercial airlines.

The agency said the cuts were necessary to ease pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many of them work six days a week with mandatory overtime, and a growing number have begun crying out loud as financial strain and exhaustion mount.

“You can’t expect people to go to work when they’re not getting a paycheck,” said Kelly Matthews of Flat Rock, Mich., a frequent business traveler who has canceled most of her upcoming trips. “I mean, it’s not a matter of them not wanting to do the work, but you can’t afford to pay for gas and your daycare and everything else.”

The move comes as the Trump administration steps up pressure on congressional Democrats to end the shutdown.

Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers. Some planned to focus on reducing routes to and from small and medium-sized cities.

Carriers are required to reimburse customers whose flights are canceled, but do not cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations, unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the airlines’ control, according to the Department of Transportation.

Industry analyst Henry Harteveldt warned that the cuts “will have a notable impact on the entire U.S. air transportation system.”

The cuts could also slow package service because two airports on the list are major distribution centers for delivery companies: FedEx in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS in Louisville, Kentucky, site of this week’s fatal cargo plane crash.