Watch live as flight cancellations impact multiple U.S. airports after the Federal Aviation Administration’s ordered flight cuts at 40 major airports starting Friday.
By Josh Funk and Rio Yamat
Anxious travelers across the U.S. felt a bit of relief Friday as airlines mostly stayed on schedule while gradually cutting hundreds of daily fighters because of the government shutdown.
Plenty of nervousness remained, though, as more canceled flights are expected in the coming days to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s order to reduce service at the busiest airports.
While the FAA order left some passengers making backup plans and reserving rental cars, the more than 800 routes scratched Friday represented just a small portion of the overall flights nationwide.
Passengers still faced last-minute cancellations and long security lines at the 40 airports targeted by the slowdown including major hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Airlines expect limited disruptions this weekend and stressed that international flights are not expected to be affected. But the upheaval will intensify the longer the shutdown lasts and could become chaotic if it extends into the Thanksgiving holiday, just weeks from now. It will take days for air travel to return to normal even after the order to reduce service is lifted.
Long lines and, for some, long drives
Those who showed up before sunrise Friday at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport faced security lines that barely moved, prompting some people to lie down while they waited.
“It was snaking around all different parts of the regular area,” Cara Bergeron said after flying from Houston to Atlanta. “I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Others were less fortunate.
Karen Soika from Greenwich, Connecticut, found her flight out of Newark, New Jersey, was rebooked for an hour earlier. Then she learned her plane was actually leaving from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, at least an hour away.
“I’m a surgeon, I’m used to chaos,” she said. She unsuccessfully tried to book a rental car to get to Utah for a weekend trip before settling on an option that seemed straight out of Hollywood.
Airlines scramble to rebook passengers
More than 800 flights were called off nationwide Friday — four times the number canceled Thursday, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions.
Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver and Dallas led the way with the most disruptions, FlightAware said.
Not all the cancellations were due to the FAA order which came amid increasing strain on air traffic controllers, who are working without pay during the government shutdown and calling off work at much higher rates.
Both United and American airlines said they were able to quickly rebook most travelers. United spokesperson Josh Freed said more than half were scheduled to reach their destinations within four hours of their original plan.
