FAA Announces Flight Cuts Amid Shutdown Delays

Republican from Kansas Senator Jerry Moran says that he is looking to Senate Democrats for clues about when the government shutdown will end as the FAA announces domestic flight cuts at major airports.

The planned cuts to US flight capacity are set to give many travelers less than 24 hours to find out if their journey has been canceled, potentially creating more disruption for an air travel industry already buckling under the longest government shutdown in history.

The US Transportation Department and Federal Aviation Administration announced on Wednesday that they would order airlines to cut 10% of flight capacity across 40 major airports, in an effort to relieve pressure on the aviation system during the ongoing shutdown.

But details on the measure — unveiled by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford — have been sparse and people familiar with the government’s thinking have cautioned that nothing is final until an official order is released.

Some aspects of the plan have begun to emerge. Airlines have been told that the flight cuts should come between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., the people said, asking not to be identified because the details aren’t yet public.

Government officials have also informed carriers that flight reductions will likely start at 4% on Friday and gradually build to 10% sometime next week, they said. International flights would be exempt from the cuts. These details, however, are still subject to change.

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