Copyright The Philadelphia Inquirer
American Airlines, which operates 75% of the flights at Philadelphia International Airport, said Wednesday night that it has been directed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to reduce flight schedules starting Friday, but expected the “vast majority” of its customers’ travels will be unaffected. The FAA said earlier in the day that it was requiring the reduction of air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning on Friday because of the strain of the government shutdown on air traffic controllers, who are not being paid. Federal officials on Wednesday declined to identify the 40 markets, saying the list would be released on Thursday. Philadelphia International Airport was the 21st busiest airport in the United States in terms of passengers in 2024, according to an FAA report issued in September. “Due to the ongoing government shutdown and nationwide air traffic control staffing shortages,the FAA has directed airlines to reduce flight schedules to maintain safe airspace operations beginning Friday, Nov. 7,” American Airlines said in an emailed statement Wednesday night. “Flights on Thursday, Nov. 6, will operate as planned,” the airline said. “While we are awaiting additional information from the FAA to determine which flights will be impacted, we expect the vast majority of our customers’ travel will be unaffected,” the airline said. The airline said it will “proactively reach out to customers who are impacted” when schedule changes are made, and it encouraged customers to check their flight status on AA.com or the airline’s mobile app. “In the meantime, we continue to urge leaders in Washington to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown,” the airline said. On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Philadelphia International Airport said two checkpoints run by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration would be closed starting Wednesday. Airport spokesperson Heather Redfern said the closures were being made at the request of the TSA, which is being affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown. About 1,700 badged federal employees work at the airport, including air traffic controllers, TSA workers, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees. When the shutdown began Oct. 1, about 800 unpaid TSA officers continued to screen luggage and staff checkpoints at the airport. It was unclear Wednesday how many are still working since the Department of Homeland Security had threatened to furlough any workers, including TSA officers, who did not “report for duty” for jobs that are still mandatory during the shutdown. TSA employees missed their first full paycheck Oct. 24. Air traffic controllers missed their first paycheck last week.
