The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will reduce flight capacity by 10% at 40 high-volume airports across the US from Friday morning (November 7) as the government shutdown, now the longest in history, enters its 37th day.
Transport Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford made the decision in order to alleviate pressure at airports due to air traffic controller staff shortages.
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1.
Reuters reported that the flight reductions would be gradual, starting at 4% of domestic flights on Friday (November 7), then 5% on Saturday (November 8) and 6% on Sunday (November 9), before reaching the full 10% next week. Between 3 500 and 4 000 flights per day could be affected.
The list of the 40 airports, obtained by ABC News, includes Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson, all three New York City-area airports, Boston Logan, Chicago O'Hare and many others.
In a statement, United Airlines said its long-haul international flights and hub-to-hub flights would not be affected by the reduction. “We will focus our schedule reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs. Customers travelling during this period are eligible for a refund, even if their flight isn't impacted,” said United CEO, Scott Kirby.
