US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has said there will be a cut in flights by up to 10% affecting 40 major airports over the coming days, if the government shutdown continues. The shutdown is now in its 37th day with Congress deadlocked on setting a new federal budget.
By late Thursday (6 November) over 800 flights within and out of the US had been cancelled for 7 November, according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.com. The decision is expected to affect domestic flights mainly, as air traffic controllers report fatigue. They are some of 1.4m federal workers now working without pay or on forced leave.
The flight reductions are expected to be phased in, rising to 10% over the next week, the Reuters news agency reported, citing unnamed sources. The airports affected could include some of the US’s busiest hubs and may hamper many international flyers seeking onward connections.
Secretary Duffy said the decision to cancel the flights was being made to maintain safety and efficiency, although he did not rule out additional restrictive measures if the shutdown continued.
The US Travel Association was one of over 450 industry organisations that sent a letter to congressional leaders asking the government to reopen ahead of the busy Thanksgiving travel period. And an STR report has said that 49% of US hotels had seen RevPAR declines of 5% or more y-o-y for the week ended 25 October. In Washington, DC, hotel RevPAR declined 23.8%, likely due to the ongoing government shutdown and to conference postponements.
The letter also claimed the shutdown has already caused 60% of Americans to reconsider their travel plans. Here is the list of US airports set to receive 10% capacity cuts on 7 November according to AP.