Administration Lowers US Flights as Government Closure Continues

Amid the unprecedented federal government shutdown approaches day 38, US skies are set to become less congested. The same cannot be said for US airports.

Protective Actions Implemented

Donald Trump’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) stated flight numbers are being lowered to uphold air traffic control safety during the federal government funding lapse, now the longest recorded and with no sign of a agreement between conservative legislators and Democrats to end the federal budget standoff.

Flight oversight bodies identified “busiest routes” where the FAA says air traffic needs cutting by 4% by 6am ET on Friday, a move that would force airlines to cancel thousands of flights and trigger a chain reaction of scheduling complications and delays at some of the nation’s largest airports.

Administration Remarks

The administration's transportation head, Sean Duffy, wrote on social media Thursday that the decision was “not about politics” but rather “about assessing the data and mitigating growing safety concerns in the system as flight directors continue working without pay”.

“It’s safe to fly today, tomorrow, and the day after because of the proactive actions we are taking,” Duffy added.

Travel Disruptions

Experts predict hundreds or even thousands of flights may be scrapped. These reductions may constitute up to 1,800 flights and upwards of 268,000 seats collectively, based on an estimate by the aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Affected Airports

The affected airports including more than two dozen states include the highest-volume locations across the US – including ATL, Charlotte, Colorado's hub, DFW, MCO, Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. Within major metropolitan areas – like New York, Texas city and Chicago – multiple airports will be impacted.

Each of the three air terminals operating in the Washington DC area – Washington Dulles international, BWI and Ronald Reagan Washington national – will be involved, inevitably causing flight disruptions for government officials as well as other travelers.

Additional Developments

• Below is the roster of domestic airports cutting flights on Friday due to federal government funding lapse.
• A previous justice department staffer who hurled a sandwich at a federal officer during the current law enforcement increase in the capital was acquitted of assault by a DC jury on Thursday in the latest legal rejection of the federal action.
• Several liberal representatives saw Tuesday’s big electoral wins as indication they should stand firm and extract as much as possible from GOP members before agreeing to end the lengthiest federal closure in history.
• Democratic officials lauded Nancy Pelosi as a “bold, groundbreaking” member of the US House of Representatives, an “icon” and the “greatest speaker in American history”, after her statement that following two decades in Congress she will leave office.
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