How the FAA’s flight cuts are affecting Hartsfield-Jackson
Airlines have cut dozens of flights at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to comply with federal regulators who called for capacity reductions amid the government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered airlines to cut traffic across 40 of the nation’s busiest airports starting Friday to maintain safety as air traffic controllers come under strain from working unpaid for weeks because of the shutdown.
Hartsfield-Jackson is the world’s busiest airport, Delta’s biggest hub and a vital connection point for the nation. Operations on Friday morning appeared normal with relatively short wait times through security.
At Atlanta’s airport, cancellations on Friday include flights to New York, Miami, Philadelphia and Charlotte, North Carolina, among a number of other cities, according to FlightAware.com.
The Friday cancellations also include flights to smaller airports from Atlanta, including to Jacksonville, North Carolina; Springfield-Branson in Missouri; and Shreveport, Louisiana, among others, FlightAware data show.
The FAA said the reductions would start at 4% Friday, increase to 6% Tuesday, 8% by next Thursday and 10% next Friday.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety. This isn’t about politics — it’s about assessing the data and alleviating building risk in the system as controllers continue to work without pay,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a written statement. “It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.”
Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which is canceling dozens of flights in Atlanta and more across the country, is allowing travelers with flights booked Friday, Saturday or Sunday to cancel their trips and get refunds or rebook flights by Nov. 16.
Delta said it has put in place all flight cancellations for Friday and said it still expects to operate “the vast majority of our flights as scheduled, including all long-haul international service.”
“We will give customers as much notice as possible about any changes to their flights and apologize for any inconvenience these adjustments may cause,” Delta said.
Other airlines have also put in place policies for refunds or flight changes.
On Friday morning Hartsfield-Jackson was busy, but running smoothly. Wait times at the main checkpoint were about four minutes before 8 a.m.
But the FAA’s cancellation of flights has some travelers worried.
Comedian Jeff Foxworthy was heading to Portland, Oregon, on Friday morning to perform a few shows over the weekend. A little before 9 a.m., his flight was still continuing as scheduled, but he was a bit wary, hoping Delta didn’t change it last minute.
“If they do, I miss my second show in 41 years,” Foxworthy, 67, said. “It’s very difficult the idea that I could have a show that sold out months in advance, and I can’t get there.”
He said the government shutdown is the “same old, same old” political recalcitrance, but it’s regular Americans who are being hurt.
“They both dig their heels in and then at the end of the day, it’s more about agenda than the people that they serve, because we’re the ones that suffer for this,” Foxworthy said.
Ashley Canty, 35, flew into Atlanta on Friday morning from Roanoke, an experience she said wasn’t too bad but did have longer than usual security lines out of her home airport in Virginia.
It’s heading back to Roanoke on Sunday that she’s nervous about.
“I’m scared for the flight back because Delta has said they’ll be canceling some flights,” she said.
She said she thinks the government shutdown is “a mess.”
Mark Todd peered up at the flight status boards in the North Terminal, checking one more time before going through security that his Frontier flight to San Juan hadn’t been canceled.
Todd, 45, is heading to Puerto Rico to celebrate a new job. He’s from Los Angeles but came to Atlanta a day before his trip to visit friends. His flight to San Juan was still operating as usual Friday morning but he was uncertain about his flight back to Los Angeles on Wednesday.
“I don’t know what will happen by then,” Todd said. “Hopefully things will be better, but I don’t know. I’m ready for whatever comes at this point.”
About the Authors
As business team lead, Kelly Yamanouchi edits and writes business stories. She graduated from Harvard and has a master's degree from Northwestern.
Mirtha Donastorg is a reporter on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s business team focusing on Black wealth, entrepreneurship, and minority-owned businesses as well as innovation at Atlanta’s HBCUs.
