US airlines yesterday were scrambling to rejig schedules and fielding a flood of customer queries after the US ordered flight cuts at some of the nation’s busiest airports, the latest travel disruption from the prolonged government shutdown.
US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy on Wednesday said that he would order steep cuts, citing air traffic control safety risks from the government shutdown.
The shutdown, now the longest in US history, has forced 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners to work without pay.
Photo: EPA
Staffing shortages have already caused tens of thousands of flight delays nationwide, with airlines estimating that at least 3.2 million travelers have been affected.
Industry sources said the first round of reductions, cutting about 4 percent of scheduled flights, would take effect as soon as today.
The cuts would rise to 5 percent tomorrow, 6 percent on Sunday and reach as much as 10 percent by next week if the shutdown persists.
“This is a fluid situation, but we believe the impact is more manageable than headlines imply,” TD Cowen’s Tom Fitzgerald said, adding that the timing of the shutdown’s end remains the key swing factor.
Unless the government reopens, the drastic plan threatens to throw holiday plans into chaos for millions of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving, marking one of the most visible ripple effects yet from the record-long government shutdown.
“They [the airlines might] have some flexibility on prices, but if this shutdown goes on much longer, then that should have a negative effect overall,” Trade Nation senior market analyst David Morrison said.
Airlines including United Airlines, American Airlines and Southwest were inundated with passenger queries on social media platforms such as X, as flyers sought clarity on travel plans.
“Please, you and your fellow airlines — for Thanksgiving week — issue all cancellations at least a week in advance,” one X user urged in response to United’s post outlining flight reductions. “Don’t make people wait to find out if they can fly home for the holiday.”
The US Federal Aviation Administration is expected to formally issue the order for flight reductions later in the day.
The move aims to ease pressure on controllers, with the agency short about 3,500 staff and many working mandatory overtime and six-day weeks even before the shutdown.
Still, carriers stressed they would try to minimize disruption for customers and rebooking efforts were under way.
United CEO Scott Kirby said the airline would target its cuts on regional flying and non-hub domestic routes, and the carrier expects to rebook many affected travelers.
MAKING WAVES: China’s maritime militia could become a nontraditional threat in war, clogging up shipping lanes to prevent US or Japanese intervention, a report said About 1,900 Chinese ships flying flags of convenience and fishing vessels that participated in China’s military exercises around Taiwan last month and in January last year have been listed for monitoring, Coast Guard Administration (CGA) Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said yesterday. Following amendments to the Commercial Port Act (商港法) and the Law of Ships (船舶法) last month, the CGA can designate possible berthing areas or deny ports of call for vessels suspected of loitering around areas where undersea cables can be accessed, Oceans Affairs Council Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said. The list of suspected ships, originally 300, had risen to about
DAREDEVIL: Honnold said it had always been a dream of his to climb Taipei 101, while a Netflix producer said the skyscraper was ‘a real icon of this country’ US climber Alex Honnold yesterday took on Taiwan’s tallest building, becoming the first person to scale Taipei 101 without a rope, harness or safety net. Hundreds of spectators gathered at the base of the 101-story skyscraper to watch Honnold, 40, embark on his daredevil feat, which was also broadcast live on Netflix. Dressed in a red T-shirt and yellow custom-made climbing shoes, Honnold swiftly moved up the southeast face of the glass and steel building. At one point, he stepped onto a platform midway up to wave down at fans and onlookers who were taking photos. People watching from inside
Japan’s strategic alliance with the US would collapse if Tokyo were to turn away from a conflict in Taiwan, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said yesterday, but distanced herself from previous comments that suggested a possible military response in such an event. Takaichi expressed her latest views on a nationally broadcast TV program late on Monday, where an opposition party leader criticized her for igniting tensions with China with the earlier remarks. Ties between Japan and China have sunk to the worst level in years after Takaichi said in November that a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan could bring about a Japanese
The WHO ignored early COVID-19 warnings from Taiwan, US Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill said on Friday, as part of justification for Washington withdrawing from the global health body. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said that the US was pulling out of the UN agency, as it failed to fulfill its responsibilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The WHO “ignored early COVID warnings from Taiwan in 2019 by pretending Taiwan did not exist, O’Neill wrote on X on Friday, Taiwan time. “It ignored rigorous science and promoted lockdowns.” The US will “continue international coordination on infectious
RSS