Reagan National Airport is currently experiencing significant delays and cancellations due to air traffic reductions. In a statement released on Friday afternoon, the airport advised passengers with flight reservations to closely monitor their flight status with their respective airlines. As of 5 p. m. , the FAA reported an average delay of four hours at Reagan National, citing staffing issues as the cause.
This disruption is part of a larger trend affecting air travel across the United States, as airlines have been forced to cut hundreds of daily flights in compliance with a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) order to reduce service at the nation’s busiest airports due to the ongoing government shutdown. On Friday, over 1,000 flights were canceled nationwide, four times the number of cancellations the day before. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, and Dallas have been hit the hardest, with the most disruptions being reported.
The FAA order applies to 40 airports, including Reagan National and Dulles International, as well as major hubs in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Passengers have been faced with last-minute cancellations and long security lines at affected airports. However, airlines have assured travelers that international flights are not expected to be affected.
The FAA order is a response to the increasing number of air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay for nearly a month as the shutdown continues, calling out of work due to financial pressure. While this has caused inconvenience for some passengers, the number of flights canceled on Friday represents a small portion of overall flights nationwide.
Airlines have indicated that they do not expect significant disruptions this weekend and have emphasized that international flights will not be affected. However, if the shutdown continues and more controllers call out of work after missing their second paycheck on Tuesday, the number of cancellations could increase from the initial 10% reduction in flights to 15% or 20%, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy during an interview on Fox News.
Passengers have been faced with long security lines and, for some, long drives as a result of the disruptions. At Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, travelers were met with security lines that barely moved, prompting some to lie down while they waited. Meanwhile, others have been forced to make alternative arrangements, such as reserving rental cars or even driving cross-country after their flights were canceled or rerouted to different airports.
Airlines have been working to rebook passengers and have reported canceling hundreds of flights each day in response to the FAA order. Major carriers such as United, American, and Southwest have focused their cuts on smaller regional routes to airports where they have multiple flights a day, in an effort to minimize the number of passengers affected. The FAA has stated that the reductions, which impact all commercial airlines, will start at 4% of flights at the busiest airports and will gradually increase to 10% over the coming week.
The ongoing government shutdown has caused uncertainty and challenges for airlines, as they struggle to plan and optimize their flight