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Hundreds of flights have been canceled across the country after the FAA announced it would be reducing flights at 40 major U.S. airports. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced this change due to the longest government shutdown in the country's history, causing air traffic controllers to work since Oct. 1 without getting paid. Both Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said that they are being “proactive” in keeping the national airspace system safe. “My department has many responsibilities, but our No. 1 job is safety. This isn’t about politics — it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” Duffy said. “It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.” Bedford said that the airports chosen was based on data where they could see the “signs of stress in the system.” The reduction started Friday morning, with airports cancelling up to 4% of flights scheduled between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. So far, airports in New York, New Jersey, and Florida have experienced major delays, with Newark Liberty International Airport departures being delayed by at least 30 minutes due to staffing issues. According to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, over 1,000 flights were already delayed as of 9:15 a.m. More than 800 flights have already been canceled, with more expected throughout the week. American Airlines: 220 flights canceled United Airlines: 188 flights canceled Delta Airlines: 170 flights canceled Southwest Airlines: 100 flights canceled Airlines are required to issue refunds to passengers who are affected but are not required to cover costs such as hotels if a passenger's flight is cancelled, according to the Department of Transportation. While Americans will face delays with travel, there will also be delays in packages shipped by air.
