Prevue Exclusive: Planners weigh in on how they’re coping with the flight cancellations.*
Hundreds of thousands of travelers had their flights delayed or canceled on Sunday in the worst day for disruptions since the start of a U.S. government shutdown, as Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned of worse to come in the run-up to the Thanksgiving holiday.
Airlines scrapped over 2,800 U.S. flights and delayed 10,200+ Sunday, marking day three of government-ordered cuts amid air traffic control staffing shortages. This follows Saturday’s massive disruptions and stranded travelers. In Atlanta, 18 of 22 controllers did not show up for work.
The record 40-day shutdown has left controllers unpaid for weeks, worsening staffing problems.
“It’s only going to get worse… the two weeks before Thanksgiving, you’re going to see air travel be reduced to a trickle,” Duffy said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Millions of people usually travel in the run-up to Thanksgiving, one of the most important U.S. holidays, which this year falls on Nov. 27. For holiday travelers, Duffy said, flights are not going to be available if the shutdown doesn’t end.
If Shutdown Ends, What Then?
The U.S. Senate voted to advance a bill to end the government shutdown late on Sunday, sending stock shares of U.S. carriers up, including United, Delta and American.
But even with Senate passage, the bill faces more hurdles: House approval and President Trump’s signature—a process that could stretch for days. Meanwhile, Duffy has said flight reductions won’t be lifted until air traffic controllers are back on the job and safety numbers show real improvement.
The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4 percent of daily flights starting on Friday at 40 major airports because of air traffic control safety concerns. Reductions in flights are mandated to reach 6 percent on Tuesday and then hit 10 percent by Nov. 14.
American Airlines urged quick approval of the Senate bill, noting that for 40 days “federal aviation workers haven’t been paid and our customers have endured thousands of delays and cancellations due to the government shutdown.”
Many airlines have already planned their cancellations for the coming days. United Airlines, for example, will cut 190 flights on Monday and 269 on Tuesday, the company said.
Exacerbating the problem, controller retirements have increased since the Oct. 1 federal shutdown, leaving the FAA 1,000-2,000 controllers below full staffing, Duffy told CNN. He added that pre-shutdown, airports saw four controllers a day retiring; now that number is up to 15-20 a day—a situation that doesn’t bode well for efficient travel even if the government does reopen soon.
Airline officials privately said the number of delay programs made it nearly impossible to schedule and plan many flights and expressed alarm about how the system would function if staffing issues worsen.
The impact on air travel also could hit U.S. economic growth, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in a “Face the Nation” interview that aired on Sunday, pointing to the losses a depressed Thanksgiving would cause.
By next Friday, the estimated daily U.S. economic impact would range $285 million to $580 million, airline experts say.
*Exclusive: Planners are weighing in on how they’re dealing with the flight cuts. Here’s one genius solution from a planner: “I’ve moved my flight up a day to get to an event to give myself more of a buffer.”
Here are some more comments:
“Flexibility and proactive communication have been essential during this disruption. At Terramar DMC, we’re constantly monitoring flight schedules and staying in close contact with clients and transportation teams so we can adjust plans in real time and keep every experience running smoothly.” — Kate Patay, Vice President of Global Engagement, Terramar, a DMC Network Company
“Our goal is to make sure clients never feel the stress of last-minute changes. Through constant monitoring and proactive communication, Terramar’s teams work behind the scenes to manage disruptions before they impact the guest experience. This is where we shine.” — Lisa DeLeon, Chief Sales Officer, Terramar, a DMC Network Company
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