US airlines on Friday cut 4 per cent of flights at 40 major airports after the government imposed an unprecedented reduction on air travel, citing air traffic control safety concerns because of a record-setting government shutdown.
The cutsinclude about 700 flights from the four largest carriers – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines – and are set to rise to 6 per cent on Tuesday and then 10 per cent by November 14th if the shutdown does not end.
The cuts do not apply to international flights.
American Airlines chief executive Robert Isom does not expect significant disruption for customers from initial government-ordered flight reductions, he said on Friday, warning that increased cuts would be “problematic.”
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“This level of cancellation is going to grow over time and that’s something that is going to be problematic,” Mr Isom told CNBC.
American Airlines said its 220 flight cancellations on Friday affected 12,000 passengers and within a few hours it had re-accommodated a majority of them.
Cuts will be smaller over the weekend as scheduled flight volumes decline.
United Airlines said half of its affected customers were rebooked within four hours of their original departure time. United Airlines, which cancelled 184 flights on Friday, will cut 168 on Saturday and 158 on Sunday.
Transportation secretary Sean Duffy on Wednesday had announced plans to cut 10 per cent of flights starting om Friday but said at a forum on Friday the “safety team said that could be even more disruptive” and instead opted to phase them, starting at 4 per cent.
Mr Duffy said safety data was behind the move, including incidents of planes not maintaining separation and ground incursions.
Airlines were also dealing with the fallout from continuing air traffic controller absences as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) slows flights to address staffing issues. Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20-40 per cent of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day.
During the record long 38-day government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay.
The FAA on Friday was delaying flights at six airports amid a spike in air traffic controller absences.
The FAA is also restricting space launches.
The US government shut down most of its operations in October as partisan divisions prevented Congress and the White House from reaching a funding deal. – Reuters
