As America’s government shutdown becomes the longest in history, the fallout is spreading from Washington’s halls of power to airports across the country.
The Federal Aviation Administration is forcing airlines to cut 10 per cent of their flights at 40 of the busiest airports across the nation to reduce pressure on air traffic controllers and ensure that flying remains safe.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has warned that if the shutdown continues, the public will see “mass chaos” involving delays, cancellations and potentially airspace closures.
“The airlines are going to work with passengers but in the end our sole role is that we keep this airspace as safe as possible,” Duffy said, warning of “additional disruption” and “frustration”.
But what does this mean for travellers as Thanksgiving and the busiest travel days of the year loom, and is chaos in the skies really on the horizon?
How many flights are being cancelled by the US shutdown?
The restrictions will start gradually, reducing domestic flights by around 4 per cent on Friday, climbing to 5 per cent on Saturday and 6 per cent on Sunday, before hitting 10 per cent next week on 14 November, the Reuters news agency reported.
They are to be in effect between 6 am to 10 pm local time and impact all comme
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