Copyright Baton Rouge Advocate
Ana Lord arrived in Baton Rouge around 12:30 p.m. Thursday. She's in town for a wedding, and is set to leave Louisiana on Sunday, flying through Dallas Fort Worth and LaGuardia airports. When she flew in from Charlotte, she didn't face any major delays that travelers around the country have faced due to the government shutdown causing shortages of air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration employees. But on Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration announced a 10% reduction in air traffic to relieve work off of federal employees, unveiling a list of 40 major airports impacted on Thursday morning — and Lord's stops on Sunday are on that list. Despite the cuts, she isn't stressed at this moment. She's awaiting communication from the airports to see if her flights will be impacted and hasn't heard anything yet. Ten travelers, including Lord, said they did not experience any delays or cancellations traveling to or from Baton Rouge Thursday. "We're not going to worry about that right now," she said. Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and all other Louisiana airports are safe from the FAA cuts. But airports that BTR services, including Houston, Atlanta, Dallas Ft. Worth, Charlotte and Washington D.C., will all reduce air traffic, effective Friday. On Thursday morning, the eve of the nationwide air traffic cuts, BTR was calm. Travelers lugged their baggage through ticketing and security, with no major lines for each stop. Edwards said some flights coming in from Houston and Atlanta have been delayed in the past month, resulting in travelers being late for their next stop or their journey home from the airport. With no direct impacts, Edwards said operations at BTR are "business as usual," ensuring that passengers have a safe trip. He can anticipate some delays and cancellations nationwide from the cuts, but does not know yet how BTR's arrival and departure schedule will be impacted. Airlines will contact passengers directly if their flight is delayed or canceled. "We are urging the public, if you are flying in the next week or two, to make sure that you're checking the status of your flight with your airline prior to coming to the airport," he said. Making ends meet The government shutdown has stretched past the one month mark, making it the longest shutdown in U.S. history. For the past month, federal monies have been frozen, docking pay for government employees. TSA agents and air traffic controllers have shouldered the impact of the shutdown at airports. The shutdown has forced air traffic controllers to take jobs as Uber or DoorDash drivers in order to bring in income. TSA Media said in a statement that delays at security checkpoints are to be expected. But as the shutdown prolongs, the stress on TSA agents working without pay will worsen, they said. So far, BTR has not experienced staffing issues related to the shutdown, barring for a few federal employees having to pick up extra shifts, Edwards said. The airport launched a food drive collecting non-perishable food items and daily essentials like toiletries for TSA and air traffic control workers last week. Volunteers from Set Free Indeed Ministry and the United Cajun Navy have provided hot lunches for BTR federal employees. Transportation Security Officer at BTR Christopher Robinson said employees have faced "mental anguish" working unpaid as expenses they have to pay persist. While the airport has not had any abnormal traffic in the past month, it can get "hectic" when TSA is down a few employees. "We're trying to make ends meet," he said. Future travel United and Delta Airlines have said that they intend to reduce domestic flights that do not travel between their hubs, or airports serviced by multiple airlines to increase passenger capacity and lessen the number of aircraft needed. Cindy Chambers, a manager at Pearson's Travel World, said she's only had one client cancel their travel plans due to uncertainty of the air travel schedule following the traffic cuts. Most of her clients who have already booked their travels through the agency are waiting to see what happens. If passengers face delays or cancellations in the future, Chambers said its best to rebook the flight with airline staff at the airport. United Airlines is offering refunds for flights during the shutdown, regardless of if they're impacted by traffic cuts. Delta and American Airlines are waiving change fees for flights in the next week. "Unless we have a waiver to reissue the ticket, our hands are kind of tied," Chambers said. "We strongly suggest that they wait in line with everybody else." While many Baton Rouge travelers said they haven't experienced delays or cancellations from the shutdown, they're exercising caution against their future travels. Alecia Thomas flew into Baton Rouge Thursday and said she often flies through Houston. "There's no way I would do that now," she said.
