Philly International Airport to reduce flight volume, two TSA lines closed due to shutdown

Thursday morning, as travelers at Philadelphia International Airport kissed their loved ones goodbye and rolled their luggage to check in, several said their flights haven’t been changed due to the reductions.

But frequent flyer Virginia Nunn — on her way home to Tampa after visiting family in Philly — doesn’t expect it to stay that way for long. She and her husband have a trip to Las Vegas booked for next week.

“We fully expect disruption,” said Nunn.

Frontier expects most of its flights to operate as planned during the FAA-directed flight reduction expected to begin Friday.

Customers whose flights are impacted will receive communication via email, text, and the Frontier mobile app. Those with Frontier flights that are canceled, or delayed for more than three hours for domestic flights or six hours for international flights can rebook or request a refund.

Despite the expectations of minimal delays, the CEO of the budget airline, Barry Biffle, is advising travelers to buy a “backup ticket” on another carrier in case their original flight is canceled or delayed.

U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D., Pa.) interrupted a news conference Wednesday being held by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R., La.) to call on him to push for a bipartisan deal to reopen the government.

"I've called on someone else," Johnson said as Houlahan continued to speak. Johnson apologized to the reporter, claiming Houlahan "doesn't respect the rights of her colleagues."

"You are the speaker for all of us, sir," Houlahan continues. "You have an obligation, not just to speak lies to the American people, you have an obligation to call the leadership of both parties and bring us together and solve this problem together."

Senate Democrats are scheduled to meet Thursday afternoon to discuss whether to back an emerging deal to end the government shutdown, according to Punchbowl News.

The details remain murky, but it appears a potential deal centers around Democrats agreeing to vote with Republicans to reopen the government in exchange for a guaranteed vote on renewing tax credits for Obamacare, which are set to expire at the end of the year.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) has signaled he'd be willing to come to some agreement to offer a vote, but so far Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R., La.) has held firm on reopening the government before negotiating with Democrats.

Flight delays that have been piling up across the country could continue even if Republicans and Democrats agree to end the government shutdown, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.

Speaking on Fox News Thursday morning, Duffy said it would take time to get staffing levels back up to normal if and when the government reopens. The Federal Aviation Administration is also dealing with a shortage of air traffic controllers that 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."

Two checkpoints run by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration at Philadelphia International Airport remain closed due to the impact of the shutdown, now the longest in U.S. history.

Airport spokesperson Heather Redfern said the closures, which began Wednesday, were being made at the request of the TSA, which is being affected by the ongoing federal government shutdown.

About 1,700 badged federal employees work at the airport, including air traffic controllers, TSA workers, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees.

American Airlines, which operates 75% of the flights at Philadelphia International Airport, said Wednesday night that it has been directed by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration to reduce flight schedules starting Friday, but expected the “vast majority” of its customers’ travels will be unaffected.

The FAA said Thursday it was requiring the reduction of air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning on Friday because of the strain of the government shutdown on air traffic controllers, who are not being paid.

Federal officials on Wednesday declined to identify the 40 markets, saying the list would be released Thursday.

The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday that it was taking the extraordinary step of reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets beginning Friday morning to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the ongoing government shutdown.

The cutback stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily, including commercial passenger flights, cargo planes and private aircraft. The agency didn’t immediately identify which airports or cities will be affected but said the restrictions would remain in place as long as necessary.

“I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at a news conference.