Flight Cancellations Mount As US Shutdown Hits Day 38: Report

On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a 10% cut in air traffic at 40 major airports to reduce pressure and ensure safety.

• According to a CNBC report, over 700 U.S. flights were canceled as of 9 a.m. ET on Friday, as per aviation data firm Cirium. 
• American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC that the operator canceled 221 flights on Friday and noted that the airline is “frustrated” with the reduction.
• The report, citing the Department of Transportation, noted that this kind of disruption is relatively common during major thunderstorms, but warned that cancellations could ramp up.

Hundreds of flights are reportedly getting canceled by airline operators in the United States on Friday after the country’s aviation regulator ordered a reduction in air traffic due to the federal government shutdown, which has entered its 38th day and is the longest-running shutdown in U.S. history.

On Wednesday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered a 10% reduction in air traffic at 40 major airports to alleviate pressure caused by a shortage of air traffic controllers, who have missed their first paycheck this month due to the government shutdown.

According to a CNBC report, over 700 U.S. flights were canceled as of 9 a.m. ET on Friday, as per aviation data firm Cirium. This accounted for approximately 3% of the total schedule for the day.

The report, citing the Department of Transportation, noted that this kind of disruption is relatively common during major thunderstorms, but warned that cancellations could ramp up.

FlightAware Data

According to flight tracking firm FlightAware, the total cancellations within, into, or out of the United States on Friday stood at 831 as of 10:30 a.m. ET. At the same time, total delays within, into, or out of the United States were 1,289, as per FlightAware.

Shares of United Airlines rose marginally in early trading, while American Airlines’ stock rose over 2%. Delta Air Lines’ stock was marginally down on Friday.

American Airlines CEO's View On Cancellations

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC that the operator canceled 221 flights on Friday and noted that the airline is “frustrated” with the reduction. The report stated that the airline was ensuring flights to all destinations remained in place, but Isom noted that the frequency of those flight paths was decreasing.

“What we’ve done today is we tried to minimize the impact on all of our customers — there’s only 220 flights out of 6,200 flights, and we’ve done it in a way that really impacts our smaller aircraft,” Isom said.

“This level of cancellation is going to grow over time, and that’s something that is going to be problematic,” he added.

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