The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a 10% reduction in flights across 40 major airports on Wednesday as a result, and it won’t be business as usual for the airlines starting on Friday. Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle suggested that passengers book backup tickets at a different airline in a now-deleted LinkedIn post. As the Trump administration drags on the longest federal government shutdown in American history, there are no longer enough unpaid air traffic controllers to safely maintain commercial airspace.
It’s completely unheard of that an airline executive would ever suggest spending money with a competitor. Biffle posted, “Flights will be trimmed due to the ATC staffing starting Friday. If you are flying Friday or in the next ten days and need to be there or don’t want to be stranded, I highly recommend booking a backup ticket on another carrier.” The CEO would go on to warn that the chances of being stranded when the cuts take effect on Friday are high, before apologizing for the impending operational debacle.
The Big Three are attempting to prevent passenger panic
The tone is much more calming and reassuring to customers at the country’s Big Three carriers: Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines. All three airlines have stated that the majority of travel won’t be impacted, especially long-haul international flights. It makes sense from a business standpoint to protect the most profitable flights while temporarily lowering service frequency to smaller airports. The Big Three are also offering passengers the opportunity to request refunds without penalty. A refund is likely the only way to guarantee that you won’t be impacted by the shutdown cuts.
The FAA’s mandate to reduce flights is a relief value to prevent a disaster caused by understaffed air traffic control facilities. According to Reuters, the 10% cut will not take effect all at once, and international flights are exempt. The order will begin at 4% on Friday and gradually increase to the stated maximum next week. The only measure more extreme would be the federal government closing portions of airspace to all traffic, something that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to do and blame on the Democrats.
