Flights at New York City and New Jersey’s major airports will be reduced starting Friday due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. This week, President Donald Trump’s administration announced plans to cut air traffic at 40 of the country’s busiest airports, including New York City’s John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, as well as at Newark Liberty and Teterboro airports in New Jersey, by 10 percent. According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) directive, airlines will be required to cut scheduled flights by 4 percent starting Friday, increasing to 6 percent by Tuesday, 8 percent by Thursday, and the full 10 percent by Friday, November 14.
The FAA is imposing the reductions to ease pressure on air traffic controllers, federal employees who have been working without pay since the shutdown began on October 1. At 37 days, the stoppage is the longest government shutdown in United States history.
Aviation officials said they expect carriers to work together to achieve “evenly distributed reductions” throughout the day so as not to have “disproportionate impacts” on communities or specific hours of the day. If carriers fail to do so, the FAA warned it “may direct cancellations on a more prescriptive basis,” according to the directive.
The four tri-state airports are among 40 nationwide affected by the reductions, which will cancel thousands of flights across more than two dozen states.
In an official statement, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the reductions are a proactive measure in response to “signs of stress” within the system.
“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” Bedford said. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”
With Thanksgiving just weeks away, one of the busiest travel periods of the year, the cutbacks could create major disruptions at the region’s airports. The reductions may also impact flights at smaller airports across the state as airlines adjust their schedules.
Officials at Airports Council International–North America, an airport trade group, project that the loss of flights will reduce the 40 airports’ combined economic output by an estimated $365 million per day, according to Crain’s.
The cuts could affect up to 1,800 flights and roughly 268,000 seats combined, according to the Associated Press. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines said they will offer refunds to travelers who choose not to fly, even for tickets that are typically nonrefundable.
Select airlines began canceling flights on Thursday. United Airlines said it planned to cancel fewer than 200 flights, though the Chicago-based carrier operates the majority of departures from Newark Liberty. By Friday morning, airlines had already canceled more than 500 flights.
Gov. Kathy Hochul, who on Thursday celebrated $100 million in upgrades at Albany International Airport, criticized the White House’s decision to reduce flights and urged federal lawmakers to end the shutdown.
“New Yorkers bracing for canceled flights and hectic airports will have the latest GOP shutdown stunt to blame,” Hochul said, as reported by Crain’s. “Enough is enough, it’s time for Donald Trump and Washington Republicans to get to work and end this government shutdown.”
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