✈️ Hold onto your boarding passes! The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) just announced a 10% cut in air traffic at 40 busy airports starting Friday, thanks to the longest federal shutdown in history.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy explained that this measure aims to ease pressure on air traffic controllers and prevent safety issues before they escalate. Airlines will coordinate cancellations in a systematic way to keep things flowing as smoothly as possible.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford warned that if staffing triggers persist, further reductions could be on the way. In his 35-year aviation career, he’s never seen a situation quite like this, highlighting how unusual the current shutdown era has become.
Since the shutdown began, roughly 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 airport security officers have worked without pay, leading to acute staffing shortages and frustrating delays at many airports.
Travelers should brace for more cancellations and longer waits. 🛫😓 Keep an eye on airline updates for the latest flight info, and let’s hope for a swift resolution to get us all back in the skies on time!
Reference(s):
U.S. to cut air traffic by 10% at 40 locations as shutdown rumbles on
cgtn.com
