Copyright Star Tribune
Airlines cancelled 30 flights at the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport Saturday and delayed 87 more, according to the flight tracking platform FlightAware. MSP’s website reported that 23 flights were cancelled and 57 delayed. Officials cancelled 38 flights Friday. FlightAware also reports a total of 63 cancelled flights at MSP between Sunday and Monday but has reported no delays. Lines for TSA checkpoints hovered at five minutes or less Saturday morning. The Federal Aviation Administration directed airlines across the nation to slash 4% of their flights to relieve pressure on overtaxed air traffic controllers affected by the federal government shutdown, which started Oct. 1 and is now the longest in U.S. history. FAA officials expect airlines to cut a tenth of their domestic flights by Nov. 14 if the shutdown continues Delta airlines extended their travel waiver by five days in response, allowing Delta flyers to rebook without paying the fare difference. At least 40 major airports are affected by the directive, including MSP, where many travelers witnessed delays, fewer federal workers and growing uncertainty. Sopo Saley, 36, flew from Dallas to Minnesota Friday to visit friends but said that he may stall further travel plans for four months because “I don’t want to [travel] out and probably get stuck.” Desmond Johnson flew Frontier from North Carolina to Minneapolis Friday for his friend’s wedding, and the 27-year-old said he almost missed his connecting flight after his flight from Charlotte was delayed by 45 minutes. “I actually had to run to make it. I just barely made it getting to my connecting flight, but thank God I did,” Johnson said. “I keep checking my email to make sure my flight [back] isn’t cancelled ... But if it does, hopefully we get something booked.” The trade group Airlines for America said more than 3.5 million people have experienced delays or cancellations since the shutdown began, adding that the ongoing situation is “not sustainable.”
