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Hundreds of flights in the United States were canceled on Friday (November 7) with Federal Aviation Administration reductions going into effect as the ongoing record government shutdown reaches its second month, NBC News reports.
The cancelations included the four biggest domestic airlines -- American Airlines, United, Delta and Southwest -- at 40 high-traffic airports as officials attempt to relieve pressure amid a lack of employees. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the decision was made to combat the "fatigue" facing air traffic controllers who have now been working without pay since the government shutdown began on October 1.
Up to 4% of flights were canceled on Friday as part of an increasing scale, with 6% to be canceled by November 11; 8% by November 13; and 10% by November 14, which will result in an estimated 4,400 flights canceled per day, according to the FAA's FY 2024 figures. Numerous travelers expressed frustrations amid the mass cancelations.
"I think the government is playing with people's lives," one traveler told NBC News, while another described the situation is overwhelming and unfair, especially to the employees working for free amid the ongoing shutdown.
American Airlines is issuing travel waivers to allow customers with canceled flights to rebook or request a refund without penalty. United said customers would be notified about cancelations through its app and push notifications and would also offer a refund within the period even if the passenger's flight isn't impacted.
Delta also said it was issuing travel waivers, allowing passengers effected by the situation to change, cancel, or refund their scheduled flights without facing a penalty. Southwest claimed the "vast majority" of its customer flights weren't expected to face cancelations and passengers would be initially notified by the airline, while all travelers who booked through November 12 would be eligible to change their itinerary or receive a refund.
The government shutdown has reached 38 days, setting the record for the longest in American history. The previous record of 35 days was set during President Donald Trump's first of two non-consecutive administrations in 2019.