United States airlines have warned passengers that traffic reduction by 10% in 40 “high volume” markets, due to government shutdownmay lead to flight delays or cancellations.
On Wednesday, aviation companies admitted that the measure could create uncertainty and recommended that passengers check the status of their flights before heading to the airports.
Hours before, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States announced that it will reduce air trafficstarting Friday morning, to maintain safety during the government shutdown.
A Southwest Airlines stated that it is “evaluating how the Government’s planned flight restrictions” will affect flights and promised to “communicate directly with customers as soon as possible”.
The airline emphasized the need for the Senate, the upper house of the United States parliament, to “immediately resolve the impasse to restore the full capacity of the national airspace system”.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford highlighted that the agency will not wait for the problem to arise to actstating that the strike is putting pressure on staff, something that “cannot be ignored”.
“If the pressure continues to increase even after we take these measures (…) we will go back and take additional measures”, highlighted Bedford.
There has already been numerous delays at airports across the country – sometimes hours – because the FAA temporarily reduces or stops traffic whenever there is a shortage of controllers.