The initial waves of flight cancellations were issued as flyers planning to depart from Los Angeles, Ontario and San Diego international airports were told to expect flight delays or cancellations starting this morning as the U.S. Department of Transportation gradually imposes a 10% cutback on flight capacities at scores of major airports nationally.
Nearly 700 planned Friday flights nationwide were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. That number, already four times higher than Thursday’s daily total, was likely to keep climbing.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday the reductions in capacity at 40 high-volume airports to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown.
Major airlines were told by transportation officials that reductions would be phased in, starting at 4% Friday, increasing to 5% Saturday and then rising to 10% next week. According to lists obtained by various media outlets, the airports in Los Angeles, Ontario and San Diego are among those impacted.
As of Thursday evening, 45 flights had been canceled at LAX and 10 flights delayed, according to FlightAware.com. Of those canceled, 30 were on SkyWest, six on Southwest, two each on Delta, Swiss, JetBlue and United and one on Spirit.
LAX, the eighth-busiest airport in the world serving over 75 million guests in 2023, was one of 40 airports nationwide required to make the cuts. LAX is among the top five busiest airfields in the nation.
At Ontario, two outbound and two incoming flights scheduled for today had already been canceled, compared to none on Thursday.
In San Diego, seven inbound flights scheduled for today had already been canceled, along with nine inbound flights. That compared to only one each on Thursday.
In all, five California airports — LAX, ONT, San Diego International Airport, Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport — are on the list. Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, however, is not included in the 10% reduction in flight capacity and neither were Long Beach or Hollywood-Burbank.
Nonetheless, travelers departing from smaller airports may face delays going into an affected airport.
The flight reductions arrive just weeks before the busy holiday season. Passengers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to see if their flights would take off as scheduled. Some travelers began changing or canceling itineraries preemptively.
Airlines have been issuing alerts to passengers to be aware of possible flight impacts.
United Airlines posted a message on its website stating, “We’re making updates to our schedule and will let you know if your flight is affected as soon as possible, but anyone flying between Nov. 6 and 13 can request a refund or reschedule for free.”
Southwest Airlines posted a notice saying “the vast majority” of its customers will not be affected, but said anyone with flights booked through Wednesday can adjust their travel plans at no cost, “or receive a refund if they choose not to travel, regardless of whether their flight is affected.”
“We will communicate directly with affected customers as soon as possible,” according to Southwest.
Delta Air Lines also advised customers of flight reductions, and provided guidance for travelers about how they can change or cancel their flights without any financial penalties.
Frontier Airlines stated that it expects most of its flights to operate as planned, but it will communicate with passengers whose travel plans may be impacted by the cuts.
“Customers whose flights are canceled or delayed for more than three hours (domestic flights) or six hours (international flights) are able to rebook or to request a refund,” according to the airline.
The cuts are the result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has led to staffing issues among air-traffic controllers. The controllers are considered essential workers who are instructed to continue working despite the closure, and not receiving paychecks.
Air travel experts say the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were working together, in order to figure out what flights would be canceled for the next week to meet the ultimate 10% quota at the 40 airports. But the airlines are in a time crunch to respond.
The cuts could include up to 1,800 flights per day and about 268,000 seats combined, according to The Associated Press.
“I anticipate there will be additional disruptions,” Duffy said during a Washington, D.C., news conference Wednesday afternoon. “There will be frustration. We are working with the airlines. They’re going to work with passengers. But in the end, our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible.”
The past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the government shutdown.
From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities nationwide reported potential staffing limits, according to an AP analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, was well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.
The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report