US travel chaos as flights cut due to government shutdown
WASHINGTON
Travelers across the United States were left scrambling to rebook flights as the government shutdown heaps pressure on the country's air traffic control system, prompting hundreds of flight cancellations at major American airports on Nov. 7
Airlines started implementing up to a 10 percent reduction in flights for 40 high-traffic areas of the country, complying with a Federal Aviation Administration order made on safety grounds.
More than 750 U.S. flights scheduled for Nov. 7 were preemptively canceled on Nov. 6, according to tracking website FlightAware.
American Airlines said in a statement it was reducing its flight schedules "amounting to 220 flights cancelled each day."
Delta Airlines was axing about 170 flights scheduled for Nov. 7, the carrier said, while broadcaster CNN reported Southwest Airlines nixed around 100 flights set for that day.
The shutdown has left tens of thousands of air traffic controllers, airport security staff and others without pay, causing personnel shortages.
On Nov. 6, more than 6,400 U.S. flights were delayed, with some 200 cancellations, FlightAware data showed, as passengers faced long lines at security checkpoints.
Major airports were impacted, with travelers at Boston and Newark airports facing average delays of more than two hours, and those at Chicago's O'Hare and Washington's Reagan National more than an hour.
Authorities said they wanted to act before an accident occurred.
"We're not going to wait for a safety problem to truly manifest itself, when the early indicators are telling us we can take action today to prevent things from deteriorating," said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford.
