Khaberni - U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Davie warned yesterday that he might force airlines to reduce their flights by up to 20% if the government shutdown continues.
This comes at a time when American airlines are scrambling to implement unprecedented flight reductions in response to government directives.
Flight Reductions
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered airlines yesterday to cut flights by 4% at 40 major airports due to the government shutdown, with the percentage expected to rise to 10% by November 14th.
Separately, the absence of air traffic controllers has delayed hundreds of flights at 10 airports, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Washington, and Newark.
The online site FlightAware, which tracks flights, reported that by 7:30 PM Eastern Time (14:30 Abu Dhabi Time), the number of delayed flights had exceeded 5,300.
During the ongoing record 38-day government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 airport security staff have been forced to work without pay, leading to an increase in absenteeism.
Davie told reporters that he might later request a 20% reduction in flights if conditions worsen and more controllers are absent from work.
He added, "I am assessing the data... We will make decisions based on what we see in the airspace."
Flight reductions began at 3:00 PM Abu Dhabi Time, affecting about 700 flights operated by the four largest American airlines: American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines.
These percentages are scheduled to rise to 6% on Tuesday and then 10% by November 14th, if the government shutdown does not end, but this does not include international flights.
