FAA’s 4% cut of air traffic rolls out, hundreds of flights affected

As the government shutdown continues, the Federal Aviation Administration’s plans to reduce air traffic due to staffing shortages have rolled out at a 4% level, not the initial 10% level.

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Forty airports were told to cut air traffic, the FAA order said.

American Airlines said it had to cut 220 flights, but was operating more than 6,000 flights, the company told “Good Morning America.”

“Now we’ve had to cancel as part of this directive 220 flights today and that will be the same number through the weekend, until we start ramping up. We have been working tirelessly throughout, around the clock, to ensure that we’re minimizing the disruption to our customers,” American Airlines chief operating officer David Seymour said.

Overall, more than 822 flights in or out of the U.S. were canceled on Friday, according to FlightAware.

Here is the breakdown by airline, according to NBC News:

American Airlines - 220 flights
Delta Air Lines - 170 flights
United Airlines - 188 flights
Southwest - about 100

If the shutdown continues, the FAA will increase the flight cancellations to 6% on Tuesday and 10% on Friday, NBC News reported.

FAA traffic cuts: What rights do passengers have?

Passengers are trying to make alternative plans to reach their destinations, even renting cars. Hertz said it has had a 20% spike in one-way rentals through the weekend, The Associated Press reported.

The FAA said that the cuts in air traffic were necessary for safety as air traffic controllers, who are working without pay due to the government shutdown, have been calling out sick, leading to staffing shortages. The AP said that many have been working six days a week with mandatory overtime.

“You can’t expect people to go in to work when they’re not getting a paycheck,” frequent business traveler Kelly Matthews told the AP. “I mean it’s not a matter of them not wanting to do the job — but you can’t afford to pay for gas, your day care and everything else.”

FAA traffic reduction: What is each airline doing for passengers?

Not only are travelers impacted, but shipping will be affected as Louisville’s and Memphis’ airports are on the list of 40 that were required to cut traffic. Louisville is the hub for UPS and Memphis is the hub for FedEx, the AP reported.