Northern Virginia’s two major airports are among the 40 directed by the Federal Aviation Administration to reduce flights, starting tomorrow (Friday), in response to the ongoing federal government shutdown.
The FAA announced yesterday that it will reduce air traffic by 10% across “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers go unpaid and exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown, which has now stretched on for a record 37 days.
Dulles International Airport and Reagan National Airport were included on a list of facilities targeted for cuts that was distributed to airlines and first reported last night by ABC News. The affected airports span more than two dozen states and include some of the country’s busiest hubs, such as New York, Atlanta, Denver, Miami and Chicago.
United Airlines, the largest carrier at Dulles, told employees yesterday that it will focus reductions on “regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs,” leaving long-haul international flights unaffected.
“United’s long-haul international flying and our hub-to-hub flying will not be impacted by this schedule reduction direction from the FAA,” United CEO Scott 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.”
The airline didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on impacts specifically at Dulles, but it said customers will be notified directly if their scheduled flight changes. Customers will be offered rebooking options and the ability to get a refund if they decide not to fly — even if their flight isn’t affected.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have announced similar refund offers, while Frontier Airlines recommended that travelers purchase backup tickets with another airline to avoid being stranded, according to the Associated Press.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority said today (Thursday) in a news release that it “anticipates” airlines will contact customers directly “regarding flight cancellations or rescheduling options,” though additional guidance regarding the federal government shutdown’s impacts will be posted on the airport websites flyreagan.com and flydulles.com.
The cuts could affect as many as 1,800 flights, or upwards of 268,000 passengers, per day, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Airlines routinely cut thousands of flights when a major snowstorm moves across the country in the wintertime. Last January, more than 2,000 flights were cancelled on one day as a storm moved across Texas, Louisiana and much of the Gulf coast.
The difference is that these cuts being made during the shutdown will last indefinitely until safety data improves.
“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA administrator Bryan Bedford said Wednesday. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”
Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Most work mandatory overtime six days a week, leaving little time for side jobs to help cover bills and other expenses unless they call out.
Even with the reduced flights, MWAA is preparing for “high levels of passengers” at National and Dulles airports during the holiday season from Veterans Day next Tuesday (Nov. 11) into the new year.
“Travelers can expect an increase in airport activity this weekend leading into Veterans Day, followed by busy days around Thanksgiving,” MWAA said. “Airport roads can be heavily congested on peak days – including the Friday, Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday and Monday after the holiday.”
Shutdown already straining airlines
Mounting staffing pressures are forcing the agency to act, Bedford said.
“We can’t ignore it,” he said.
Bedford and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that they would meet with airline executives to figure out how to safely implement the reductions.
Major airlines, aviation unions and the broader travel industry have been urging Congress to end the shutdown, which is putting unnecessary strain on the system and “forcing difficult operational decisions that disrupt travel and damage confidence in the U.S. air travel experience,” said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Geoff Freeman in a statement.
Duffy warned earlier this week that there could be chaos in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.
He said some controllers can get by missing one paycheck, but not two or more.
Controller staffing worsening
Staffing can run short both in regional control centers that manage multiple airports and in individual airport towers, but they don’t always lead to flight disruptions. Throughout October, flight delays caused by staffing problems had been largely isolated and temporary.
But the past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the shutdown.
From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities reported potential staffing limits, according to an Associated Press analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, is well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.
This story includes reporting from Associated Press journalists Josh Funk, Rio Yamat and Christopher L. Keller contributing from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
