Travelers nationwide rushed to reschedule flights as the ongoing government shutdown strains the U.S. air traffic control system, resulting in numerous flight cancellations at major American airports. Airlines swiftly initiated a reduction of up to 10% in flights for 40 high-traffic regions following a safety directive from the Federal Aviation Administration.
Over 750 U.S. flights scheduled for the previous day were preemptively canceled, as reported by FlightAware, a flight tracking service. American Airlines announced a cutback of 220 flights daily, while Delta Airlines scrapped approximately 170 flights for that day. Southwest Airlines, as per CNN, axed 100 flights originally planned.
The shutdown has left a significant number of air traffic controllers, airport security personnel, and other related staff unpaid, leading to personnel shortages. FlightAware data revealed that on Thursday, over 6,400 U.S. flights encountered delays, with about 200 cancellations, causing extended queues at security checkpoints for passengers.
Travelers at major airports such as Boston and Newark faced average delays exceeding two hours, with Chicago’s O’Hare and Washington’s Reagan National experiencing delays of more than an hour.