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The Federal Aviation Administration is implementing a 10% reduction in airline traffic at 40 of America’s busiest airports beginning Friday due to severe air traffic controller shortages caused by the ongoing government shutdown. The cuts will affect major hubs including those serving New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas and Houston, potentially disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began October 1, with many forced to work six-day weeks with mandatory overtime. Absences have surged dramatically, creating nationwide travel disruptions. The controllers will miss their second paycheck Friday, while approximately 13,000 controllers and 50,000 TSA agents continue working unpaid.
The flight reductions will begin at roughly 4% Friday, increase to 5% Saturday, and gradually reach 10% by next week, Transportation Department officials announced Wednesday. The chaos was already evident Thursday, with FlightAware listing 601 flight cancellations for Friday alone. Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates the cuts could affect as many as 1,800 flights and 268,000 passengers daily nationwide.
At Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the nation’s busiest, a 10% reduction means approximately 200 fewer flights and 30,000 fewer passengers. Chicago O’Hare would see more than 120 fewer flights and 15,000 fewer passengers. Other affected airports include cargo hubs in Louisville, Memphis, Anchorage and Ontario, California, plus a private jet facility in Teterboro, New Jersey.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy defended the decision as necessary for passenger safety amid overworked staff. “Our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible,” he said, rejecting claims of political motivations. National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy supported the move, stating Duffy “took action to mitigate risk and ensure safety.”
The announcement sparked intense political finger-pointing. Republicans blamed Democrats for the disruptions, while Democrats accused President Trump of using passenger inconvenience as leverage and criticized the administration for laying off FAA workers before the shutdown. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries demanded a full briefing on the layoff impacts.
Airlines and unions united in demanding Congress end the shutdown. Frontier CEO Barry Biffle advised passengers against booking nonrefundable tickets, warning stranding risks are high. Major carriers including American, United and Southwest urged immediate congressional action. Union leaders called the shutdown a cruel attack on federal workers, with air traffic controllers becoming pawns in a political tug of war.
Read more: FAA cuts back flights at 40 major airports because of government shutdown
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