US flights slashed during government shutdown order
U.S. airlines have canceled hundreds of flights across the country due to a federal order to reduce traffic at the nation’s busiest airports as the government shutdown continues.
Nearly 500 flights scheduled for Friday were canceled nationwide, and the number of cancellations increased throughout Thursday afternoon, according to the website FlightAware, which tracks flight disruptions.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to phase out a 10 percent cut in flight schedules in more than two dozen states.
Airlines were scrambling to figure out where to cut back, and passengers with plans for the weekend and beyond were anxiously waiting to see if their flights would depart as planned.
Affected airports include busy hubs and airports in popular tourist destinations such as Atlanta, Denver, Orlando, Miami and San Francisco. Multiple airports will be affected in some of the largest cities, including New York, Houston and Chicago.
“This will have a noticeable impact on the U.S. air transportation system,” said industry analyst Henry Harteveldt.
The FAA said Wednesday it would reduce air traffic in “high-volume” markets by 10 percent to protect travel safety as air traffic controllers showed signs of tension during the shutdown.
Controllers have been working without pay since the shutdown began Oct. 1, and many people have called in sick.
The disruptions could affect as many as 1,800 flights a day, or more than 268,000 passengers, aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates.
Package deliveries could also be disrupted, as two airports with large distribution centers are also on the list: FedEx operates at the airport in Memphis, Tennessee, and UPS operates at the airport in Louisville, Kentucky, the site of this week’s fatal cargo plane crash.
Meanwhile, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to find money to fully fund November SNAP food assistance benefits that were suspended following the shutdown.
The decision gave the government until Friday to make the payments through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; But the 42 million Americans (about 1 in 8) are unlikely to see money that quickly on the debit cards they use for purchases.
The decision came in response to cities and nonprofits complaining that the administration offered to cover only 65 percent of the maximum aid; This decision would result in some beneficiaries receiving nothing for this month.
US District Judge John J McConnell Jr. was one of two judges who ruled last week that the administration could not skip November aid altogether because of the federal shutdown.
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