Copyright Santa Clarita Valley Signal
By T.J. Muscaro Contributing Writer The world’s busiest airport and 39 others across the United States have been forced to decrease flights by 10% starting on Friday, federal officials announced. The Federal Aviation Administration announced the decision on Wednesday, as it struggles with personnel shortages due to the ongoing government shutdown. Those flight controllers who stay on continue to work without pay. The list of California airports affected by the reductions include Los Angeles International Airport, Ontario International Airport, and the international airports in Oakland, San Diego and San Francisco. The Hollywood Burbank Airport did not appear on the initial list of airports facing flight reductions. “We can’t ignore it,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a press conference on Wednesday. “If the pressures continue to build even after we take these measures, we’ll come back and take additional measures.” Beford added that he was unaware of the FAA taking any measures like this in his 35 years in the aviation industry. The list — obtained by The Associated Press ahead of its official release on Thursday — spans the country, affecting air travel to and from 24 states and several hubs for major passenger carriers including United Airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest, Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. The list includes Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, which is considered to be the busiest airport in the world; Memphis International Airport, which is a FedEx Superhub and considered the second-busiest cargo airport in the world; and global access points such as John F. Kennedy International Airport, Miami International Airport and LAX. According to data from the FlightAware tracking service, there were more than 2,350 delays within, into, or out of the United States as of noon on Thursday, with approximately 50 cancellations reported. The FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including cargo, commercial passenger, and private planes. Restrictions, it said, would remain in place as long as necessary, and they come just weeks before the nation enters one of the busiest travel periods of the year for Thanksgiving and the Christmas season. “As we come into Thanksgiving, if we’re still in the shutdown posture, it’s going to be rough out there. Really rough,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News in an interview on Thursday. “And we‘ll mitigate the safety side, but will you fly on time? Will your flight actually go? That is yet to be seen, but there’ll be more disruption.” These restrictions would end with the government shutdown, which has been ongoing for more than a month due to the inability of a continuing resolution bill to pass the Senate. Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. However, 60 senators need to vote yes in order to move the bill forward. Republican lawmakers continue to criticize Democratic lawmakers for continuing to vote no and failing to fund the government. “I don’t have access to money to pay air traffic controllers during this shutdown,” Duffy said on X. “Congress has said there is no money. I’d love to pay them, but I can’t. My message to Democrats is to sit down, figure it out, and not hold the American people hostage — especially when they want to travel.” The airports affected are: Ted Stevens Anchorage International in Alaska. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International in Georgia. Boston Logan International in Massachusetts. Baltimore/Washington International in Maryland. Charlotte Douglas International in North Carolina. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International in Ohio. Dallas Love Field in Texas. Ronald Reagan Washington National in Virginia. Denver International in Colorado. Dallas/Fort Worth International in Texas. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County in Michigan. Newark Liberty International in New Jersey. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International in Florida. Honolulu International in Hawaii. Houston Hobby in Texas. Washington Dulles International in Virginia. George Bush Houston Intercontinental in Texas. Indianapolis International in Indiana. John F. Kennedy International in New York. Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas. Los Angeles International in California. LaGuardia Airport in New York. Orlando International in Florida. Chicago Midway International in Illinois. Memphis International in Tennessee. Miami International in Florida. Minneapolis/St Paul International in Minnesota. Oakland International in California. Ontario International in California. Chicago O`Hare International in Illinois. Portland International in Oregon. Philadelphia International in Pennsylvania. Phoenix Sky Harbor International in Arizona. San Diego International in California. Louisville International in Kentucky. Seattle/Tacoma International in Washington. San Francisco International in California. Salt Lake City International in Utah. Teterboro in New Jersey. Tampa International in Florida. Jack Phillips, Kimberly Hayek, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. 32
