US shutdown hits travelers: Over 1,000 flights canceled; Trump administration warns it could force 20% plane cuts

More than 1,000 flights were cancelled across the United States on Friday after the Trump administration ordered reductions to ease strain on air traffic controllers working without pay amid a federal govt shutdown. Forty airports were slated for cuts, including major hubs in Atlanta, Newark, Denver, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.The flight reductions took effect gradually, starting at four per cent and rising to 10 per cent next week if Congress still had not reached a funding deal. The cancellations followed a bitter standoff between Republicans and Democrats over health insurance subsidies, which led federal agencies to grind to a halt after funding lapsed on October 1, AFP reported.

Many govt employees, including vital airport staff, were either working without pay or furloughed at home as the nearly six-week crisis continued. More than 1,000 flights scheduled for Friday were cancelled, according to tracking website FlightAware.The most affected airports late Friday were Reagan National in Washington, Denver International and Hartsfield-Jackson in Atlanta, data analysed by AFP showed. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, travellers at Reagan National were seeing average delays of four hours, with 90-minute waits in Phoenix and one-hour delays in Chicago and San Francisco.“This is frustrating. We don’t need to be in this position,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told CNBC.The upheaval meant ordinary Americans were now directly feeling the impacts of the Washington budget fight that had shut down much of the govt. US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Democrats for the shutdown, saying they should vote to reopen the govt. “If Democrats are going to go home this weekend, and they’ve kept the government shut down, that’s shameful,” Duffy told reporters at Reagan National Airport.In a post on Truth Social, President Donald Trump on Friday also called on Senate lawmakers to remain in Washington until an agreement to end the shutdown was reached. Republicans controlled Congress, but Democrats had said they would refuse to sign off on the majority party’s budget plans, including severe healthcare cuts.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Friday he could compel airlines to cut up to 20% of flights if the govt shutdown did not end, as US carriers scrambled to comply with unprecedented govt-imposed reductions, as per Reuters. The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut 4% of flights on Friday at 40 major airports, a figure set to rise to 10% by November 14. The cuts began at 6 am ET (1100 GMT) and affect about 700 flights operated by the four largest carriers – American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Duffy said the FAA based its decision on safety data, including incidents of planes failing to maintain separation and ground incursions. On Friday air traffic controller absences forced the FAA to delay hundreds of flights at ten airports, including Atlanta, San Francisco, Houston, Phoenix, Washington, DC and Newark. By 7.30 pm ET (1130 GMT) there were more than 5,300 flight delays, according to FlightAware.At Reagan Washington National, delays averaged four hours, while 17% of flights were cancelled and nearly 40% delayed. During the record 38-day govt shutdown 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been compelled to work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism.