US airlines cancel more than 2,500 weekend flights largely due to government shutdown
US airlines canceled more than 2,500 weekend flights by Saturday evening as the Federal Aviation Administration’s mandate to reduce air traffic because of the government shutdown showed no signs of easing.The slowdown at many of the nation’s busiest airports did not cause immediate widespread disruptions.But it deepened the impact felt by the nation’s longest federal shutdown.“We all travel.
We all have somewhere to be,” said Emmy Holguin, 36, who was flying from Miami to see family in the Dominican Republic.“I’m hoping that the government can take care of this.”Analysts warn that the upheaval will intensify and spread far beyond air travel if cancellations keep growing and reach into Thanksgiving week.Already there are concerns about the squeeze on tourism destinations and holiday shipping.Here’s what to know about the flight reductions:Cancellations jumped Saturday — typically a slow travel day — to more than 1,500, following just over 1,000 the previous day, according to the tracking website FlightAware.By the evening, US airlines already had canceled another 1,000-plus for Sunday.Airports in Atlanta and Chicago, as well as Charlotte, North Carolina, and Newark, New Jersey, saw numerous disruptions throughout the day.Ongoing staffing shortages in radar centers and control towers added to the cancellations and delays at several East Coast airports, including those around New York City.Not all the cancellations were due to the FAA order, and those numbers represented just a small portion of the overall flights nationwide.
But they are certain to rise in the coming days if the slowdown continues.The FAA said the reductions impacting all commercial airlines started at 4% of flights at 40 targeted airports and will be bumped up again Tuesday before hitting 10% on Friday.Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned this week that even more cuts might be needed if the shutdown continues and more air traffic controllers are off the job.Co...