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Airlines have begun canceling flights at some of the nation’s busiest airports ahead of the Trump’s administration’s mandate to reduce air traffic starting tomorrow. The cuts could affect hundreds of thousands of travelers.
Officials said they planned to slash air traffic by 10 percent at 40 major airports if the government shutdown continued, but they did not announce where the reductions would take place. A preliminary list under discussion includes airports in New York, Washington, Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Seattle. See if the airport closest to you is expected to face cuts.
Airline industry officials expect the reductions to start at 4 percent tomorrow and ramp up through the weekend, reaching 10 percent by next week. The transportation secretary said the cuts were needed to ease the strain on air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay — with many pulling overtime shifts — during the shutdown.
Many major U.S. airlines have indicated that they will maintain international flights and reduce regional trips. Some promised to waive cancellation and change fees. If you have plans to fly, our Travel desk has tips.
It is not clear if there are enough votes in the Senate to end the deadlock. Members of both parties have been quietly negotiating an off-ramp. But after a lunch meeting today, Democrats said they planned to stick to their demands.
