The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to cut 10% of their flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the nation to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers during the ongoing government shutdown and ensure that flying remains safe.
NBC News obtained a list of impacted airports where the flight cuts would be made, which the FAA is expected to officially announce on Thursday.
The cuts will start to take effect on Friday. Travelers should check with their airlines to see if their flight has been cut.
Which airports will lose flights?
Impacted airports include Chicago O’Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Miami International Airport, and all three New York area airports.
- ANC – Anchorage International in Alaska
- ATL – Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia
- BOS – Boston Logan International in Massachusetts
- BWI – Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland
- CLT – Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina
- CVG – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Ohio
- DAL – Dallas Love Field in Texas
- DCA – Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia
- DEN – Denver International in Colorado
- DFW – Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas
- DTW – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan
- EWR – Newark Liberty International in New Jersey
- FLL – Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International in Florida
- HNL – Honolulu International in Hawaii
- HOU – William P. Hobby (Houston Hobby) in Texas
- IAD – Washington Dulles International in Virginia
- IAH – George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas
- IND – Indianapolis International in Idiana
- JFK – John F. Kennedy International in New York
- LAS – Harry Reid International in Las Vegas
- LAX – Los Angeles International in California
- LGA – LaGuardia Airport in New York
- MCO – Orlando International in Florida
- MDW – Chicago Midway International in Illinois
- MEM – Memphis International in Tennessee
- MIA – Miami International in Florida
- MSP – Minneapolis–St. Paul International in Minnesota
- OAK – Oakland International in California
- ONT – Ontario International in California
- ORD – Chicago O’Hare International in Illinois
- PDX – Portland International in Oregon
- PHL – Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania
- PHX – Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona
- SAN – San Diego International in California
- SDF – Louisville International in Kentucky
- SEA – Seattle–Tacoma International in Washington
- SFO – San Francisco International in California
- SLC – Salt Lake City International in Utah
- TEB – Teterboro in New Jersey
- TPA – Tampa International in Florida
How many flights are expected to get cancelled?
The cuts could represent as many as 1,800 flights and upward of 268,000 seats combined, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Airlines are used to dealing with cutting thousands of flights on short notice during severe weather, but the difference now is that these cuts during the shutdown will last indefinitely until safety data improves.
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I have upcoming travel plans, what should I do?
Passengers should start to be notified about cancellations Thursday.
United, Delta, Southwest and American all said they will try to minimize the impact on consumers as they cut their schedules to comply with the order.
In a letter to employees, United CEO Scott Kirby promised to focus the cuts on regional routes and flights that don’t travel between hubs. He said the airline will try to reschedule customers when possible and will also offer refunds to anyone who doesn’t want to fly during this time, even if their flight isn’t canceled.
“United’s long-haul international flying and our hub-to-hub flying will not be impacted by this schedule reduction direction from the FAA,” Kirby said. “That’s important to maintain the integrity of our network, give impacted customers as many options as possible to resume their trip, and sustain our crew pairing systems.”
Delta announced similar plans and said they are providing customers additional flexibility during the impacted travel period to change, cancel or refund their flights, including our basic economy fares, without penalty.
Frontier CEO Barry Biffle advised travelers who are flying for a major event, such as a wedding or funeral, to purchase a backup ticket on another carrier.
“Carriers like Frontier will be putting you on the next available flight but that may not be until after your event due to the scale of this disruption,” Biffle said in an Instagram post. “Make sure you buy a backup that is changeable into a credit or full refund. If you don’t need the insurance keep the credit for your next flight.”
Airlines will typically rebook customers on a later flight for no additional charge. And while you can ask to be booked on another airline, airlines aren’t required to put you on another carrier’s flight. It is often hit or miss.
The good news right now is that this is not a peak travel time, so travelers stand a better chance of finding seats. But the busy holiday season is right around the corner, and at those peak times, passengers might have to wait days for a seat on a new flight.
AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz advised travelers to watch for flight updates on the airline’s app and airport social media accounts. She also recommended allowing plenty of time at the airport before a scheduled flight.
Airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, who is president of Atmosphere Research Group, said he thinks the government may have bungled this announcement by not meeting with airlines first and giving them more time to adjust schedules made months in advance.
“To tell airlines you’ve got 48 hours to rebuild your schedules at 90% of what you’ve got isn’t much time, and it’s going to result in a lot of chaos,” said Harteveldt, who was waiting to hear if his own flight from San Francisco to Dallas on Saturday would be canceled. He added that the Trump administration may be using aviation safety “to force the two sides in Washington back to the negotiating table to resolve the shutdown.”
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My flight was canceled. Am I owed a refund?
If your flight is canceled and you no longer want to take the trip, or have found another way of getting to your destination, the airline is legally required to refund your money, even if you bought a non-refundable ticket.
You are also entitled to a refund of any bag fees, seat upgrades or other extras that you didn’t get to use.
Can I get compensation?
U.S. airlines are not required to pay additional cash compensation and cover lodging and meals for passengers who are stranded, even if a flight cancellation or a severe delay is the airline’s fault.
The Biden administration had proposed a rule that would have changed that and required airlines to pay passengers for delays and cancellations in more circumstances, with compensation proposed between about $200 and as high as $775. But the Trump administration scrapped that in September, and the airlines praised him for doing so.
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