Why this matters
Air traffic controllers have been without pay since the federal government shut down on Oct. 1. That’s led to many of them calling out of work, and understaffing has meant flight delays across the country.
The San Diego International Airport is among 40 major U.S. airports that could face flight reductions and delays starting Friday if the government shutdown continues, a spokesperson for the airport said Thursday.
“Starting tomorrow, San Diego International Airport (SAN) is among 40 major U.S. airports whose flight schedules may be reduced by up to 10 percent as ordered by the FAA in response to the government shutdown,” Communications Specialist Larisa Casillas said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that he would order a reduction in flights at major airports unless a deal to end the federal government shutdown is reached.
He said it will start with a 4% reduction on Friday and go up incrementally until it reaches 10% on Nov. 14. Read the full order and see the other airports affected here.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics – it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” Duffy said in a Thursday statement. “It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.”
The government has been shut down since Oct. 1 because Congress has failed to pass a renewed spending bill. Ever since, federal workers, like the 13,000 air traffic controllers, have worked without pay. That has caused delays in airports across the country, including San Diego.
San Diego International, the country’s busiest single-runway airport, said on Nov. 2 that flights were seeing delays up to an hour and lines were longer than usual. They told people to arrive at least two hours before their flights.
On Thursday, Casillas said people should check their flight statuses before arriving and plan to arrive at least two hours prior to departure.
“We also ask our passengers to exercise patience as airlines work to adjust flight schedules in the wake of this latest disruption,” she said.
The Federal Aviation Association has pushed for an end to the shutdown, saying that it was causing a strain on their workers and operations. They said many workers were calling out, but said that it would not cause safety concerns.
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” Federal Aviation Administrator Bryan Bedford said. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”
Chris Sununu, the president and CEO of Airlines for America, the trade association for the leading U.S. airlines, said that the shutdown has caused delays and cancellations for more than than 3.4 million passengers. He said it will only get worse going into the holidays.
For real-time updates at U.S. airports due to staffing, weather, or other factors, people can visit the FAA’s website.
Type of Content
News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
