Topline
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday that travelers could see flight cancellations rise to 20% if air traffic controller staffing continues to drop during the shutdown.
Key Facts
Flight cancellations could escalate to as high as 20% if the ongoing government shutdown continues to worsen air traffic control staffing, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News on Friday.
Earlier this week, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) administrator Bryan Bedford said 20% to 40% of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day.
An FAA advisory issued at 2:08 p.m. EDT Friday listed staffing alerts indicating insufficient personnel at 16 facilities across the country.
The FAA was planning to trim flight volume incrementally over the coming week—starting at 4% Friday and escalating to 10% on Friday, Nov. 14.
More than 850 flights were cancelled in the U.S. on Friday, according to FlightAware.
Regional airlines were hit harder than the “big four” legacy carriers—with schedules at SkyWest, Republic, Endeavor Air, Envoy Air and PSA Airlines all trimmed by at least 6%, while Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and American Airlines were hit with cancellations of 3% or less.
These Airports Had The Most Cancellations On Friday
The most-impacted airports were Chicago O’Hare (82 cancellations), Hartsfield-Jackson (79), Denver (74), and Dallas/Fort Worth (59).