On November 5, the Trump administration announced its plan to cut 10 percent of air traffic at 40 of the country’s busiest airports. Analysts say it could force the cancellation of thousands of flights.
The FAA recently reported that half of the 30 busiest airports, including the six for travelers in New York and Washington, D.C., have been operating on short staff. It’s likely the majority will be impacted by the new restrictions.
The decision to reduce flights aims to “alleviate the pressure” on air traffic controllers, says Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. The essential workers haven’t been paid since mid-October, and they’re set to miss their second paycheck on Tuesday of next week.
“I think we’re reaching a tipping point,” one controller told NPR. “This is kind of about the point in the last shutdown where people just started getting fed up with it.”
Duffy has been warning of travel chaos since earlier days, blaming the Democrats for a “senseless shutdown.” He said November 4 that if the shutdown continues, by next week, “you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays, you will see mass cancellations.”
He and Bryan Bedford, the FAA administrator, said the recent decision is rooted in data and safety.
“We’re not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself when the early indicators tell us we can take action today,” Bedford said at a news conference yesterday.
Still, political commentary followed.
“Democrats are flirting with disaster,” Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who serves as the chairman of the Senate panel that oversees the FAA, posted on X.
Democratic representative Rick Larsen of Washington called the move “dramatic and unprecedented,” calling for increased transparency.
Whether politically motivated or not, flight cancellations will heavily impact travelers, particularly in late November. If the shutdown persists, the air traffic controller told NPR that Thanksgiving could be one of the worst days of travel in history.
Airports Affected by Shutdown
1. Anchorage International (Alaska)
2. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (Georgia)
3. Boston Logan International (Massachusetts)
4. Baltimore/Washington International (Maryland)
5. Charlotte Douglas International (North Carolina)
6. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (Ohio)
7. Dallas Love Field (Texas)
8. Ronald Reagan Washington National (Virginia)
9. Denver International (Colorado)
10. Dallas/Fort Worth International (Texas)
11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County (Michigan)
12. Newark Liberty International (New Jersey)
13. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International (Florida)
14. Honolulu International in Hawaii)
15. Houston Hobby (Texas)
16. Washington Dulles International (Virginia)
17. George Bush Houston Intercontinental (Texas)
18. Indianapolis International (Indiana)
19. John F. Kennedy International (New York)
20. Harry Reid International Airport (Las Vegas)
21. Los Angeles International (California)
22. LaGuardia Airport (New York)
23. Orlando International (Florida)
24. Chicago Midway International (Illinois)
25. Memphis International (Tennessee)
26. Miami International (Florida)
27. Minneapolis/St Paul International (Minnesota)
28. Oakland International (California)
29. Ontario International (California)
30. Chicago O`Hare International (Illinois)
31. Portland International (Oregon)
32. Philadelphia International (Pennsylvania)
33. Phoenix Sky Harbor International (Arizona)
34. San Diego International (California)
35. Louisville International (Kentucky)
36. Seattle/Tacoma International (Washington)
37. San Francisco International (California)
38. Salt Lake City International (Utah)
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Ava Levinson
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