Copyright Kalispell Inter Lake
Glacier Park International Airport has so far largely escaped flight cancellations stemming from the federal government’s newly imposed restrictions on air travel at major airports. Director Rob Ratkowski said the local transit hub has experienced minimal impacts, but he is waiting to see how the rolling cancellations will play out throughout the week. “We’re just going to have to kind of take it day by day and see how it goes,” he said. The record-long government shutdown, which has strained air traffic controllers and closed security checkpoints, prompted the U.S. Department of Transportation to start shaving flights at 40 U.S. airports across the country. While the Glacier Park International Airport isn’t on the list, all its major hubs are affected, including Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Denver International Airport, O’Hare International Airport and Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The federal government reduced operations by 4% on Nov. 7, which resulted in the cancellation of at least two weekend Delta Air Lines flights between the Flathead Valley and Salt Lake City International Airport, Ratkowski said. Glacier Park International Airport is not expected to see any shutdown-caused cancellations on Tuesday or Wednesday, but reductions are expected to increase nationally throughout the week. Flight reductions ramped up to 6% on Nov. 11 and will increase to 8% by Nov. 13 and 10% by Nov. 14, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Some carriers like United Airlines have published a list of flights canceled, but the carrier has not yet canceled any out of Glacier Park International Airport. Passengers should not expect last minute cancellations as “the carriers are going to work with the passengers,” Ratkowski said. Glacier Park International Airport has not experienced the other symptoms of the government shutdown, like strains on air traffic controllers or security checkpoint closures, because that work is contracted, Ratkowski said. The Federal Aviation Administration has an agreement with a provider that staffs the airport’s control tower. The same goes for the Transportation Security Administration, which contracts with a provider to staff the airport’s checkpoints, Ratkowski said. “The checkpoint personnel here are getting paid, and they have been getting paid the whole time, so we’re not seeing that impact like most of our counterparts are,” he said.
