Philadelphia International Airport travelers brace for disruptions ahead of expected flight cuts
Officials cited growing staffing pressures as air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the start of the government shutdown, which is now the longest in U.S. history.
Amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, ahead of one of the busiest travel times of the year, the Federal Aviation Administration told airlines to reduce their flights by 10% at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports.
On the list is Philadelphia International Airport. But on Thursday morning, as travelers there kissed their loved ones goodbye and rolled their luggage to check-in, the impacts from the reductions — slated to begin to be phased in Friday — hadn’t quite yet kicked in. And for some fliers, it was the calm before the storm.
“We fully expect disruption,” said Virginia Nunn, a frequent traveler who was heading home to Tampa after visiting her family in Philly. She and her husband have a trip to Las Vegas booked for next week.
She is one of thousands of airline passengers who could see delays and cancellations as the FAA’s reduction plans take effect. The agency directs more than 44,000 flights daily nationwide, including those of commercial, cargo, and private aircraft, and ordered airlines at airports from Alaska to New York to cut their number of trips. In total, the reductions could affect as many as 1,800 flights, and upward of 268,000 passengers, per day, according to an estimate by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
In announcing the reduction plan, FAA Administrator and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy cited growing staffing pressures. Air traffic controllers have been working without pay since the start of the government shutdown on Oct. 1, leading some to call out from work, prompting staffing shortages that have manifested in flight delays at airports around the country.
In a statement, PHL said it remained open and the airspace is managed by the FAA. Travelers, the airport added, should contact their airlines and sign up for text and email alerts for the latest flight information.
The idea behind reducing the number of flights, the FAA says, is to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers and thereby maintain safe air travel. In Philadelphia, about 1,700 badged federal employees work at the airport, including air traffic controllers, Transportation Security Administration workers, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees. And on Wednesday, two TSA checkpoints at PHL closed, leading the agency to recommend passengers arrive at the airport at least two hours early.
Air traffic controllers last week missed their first paychecks since the shutdown started, while TSA workers missed their first full checks Oct. 24. Airline systems specialists at PHL, who maintain the equipment used by air traffic controllers, have not been paid since the end of September.
Outside the airport Thursday, three airline systems specialists held signs calling on the government to end the shutdown. Among them was Lane Conley, who said issues caused by the shutdown are dissuading people from the job.
“We have one guy saying he can’t stay here much longer,” Conley said.
Despite the impending cuts, some airlines said that they largely expect minimal disruptions for passengers and indicated that affected customers would be notified of changes and cancellations.
American Airlines, which operates 75% of PHL’s flights, said it would cancel about 220 flights per day in the first days of the reduction but would still operate 6,000 flights daily. The airline said it would be “continuing to communicate with impacted customers” and noted that under a newly issued waiver, travelers whose flights are canceled or who choose not to travel can change their flights or request a refund.
“Disrupting customers’ plans is the last thing we want to do,” the airline said.
United Airlines will see reductions in regional and domestic mainline flights, but long-haul international flying and hub-to-hub flying would not be affected, CEO Scott Kirby said.
Frontier Airlines, meanwhile, said most of its flights would operate as planned and customers affected by the reductions would be contacted.
Despite the expectations of minimal delays, the CEO of the budget airline, Barry Biffle, advised travelers to buy a “backup ticket” on a different carrier in case their flight is canceled or delayed.
“If your flight is cancelled, your chances of being stranded are high, so I would simply have a backup ticket on another airline,” Biffle wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
In Washington, Senate Democrats met Thursday afternoon to discuss backing a deal to end the government shutdown, though no solution appeared imminent. But as Duffy said in an appearance Thursday on Fox News, the airport issues that have been piling up amid the shutdown were likely to continue even if Republicans and Democrats reached a deal.
It would take time, Duffy said, to get staffing levels back to normal once the government reopens. That’s in part due to the FAA’s shortage of air traffic controllers, which predates the shutdown.
“As they come back online, we’ll reopen the airspace, but we’re all about safety,” Duffy said. “We’ve never had a shutdown that’s lasted this long. We’re in uncharted territory.”
In fact, it could take weeks for air travel to recover from the effects of the shutdown, Nick Daniels, president of the union that represents air traffic controllers, said on CNBC earlier this week. And that’s assuming the shutdown doesn’t butt up against the Thanksgiving travel period.
“Three-hour TSA wait lines will be the least of our worries,” Daniels said.
Staff writers Rob Tornoe and Robert Moran contributed to this article, which contains information from the Associated Press.