JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Federal Aviation Administration‘s unprecedented order to scale back flights nationwide because of the record-long government shutdown took effect Friday morning.
According to FlightAware, as of 2 p.m., there have been 2,603 delays and 858 cancellations of flights within, into or out of the United States.
While Jacksonville International Airport is not on the list of major airports being ordered to reduce flights, a trickledown is expected because of reductions at important hubs like Atlanta, Houston and Miami.
As of 2 p.m., FlightAware showed 24 delayed flights and one cancellation at JAX.
The cancellations and delays come two days after the FAA announced it would be reducing air traffic by 10% across 40 “high-volume” markets to maintain travel safety during the ongoing government shutdown.
Michael Stewart, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority’s vice president of external affairs, told News4JAX on Thursday that “the entire system will be impacted” by the cuts.
Stewart encouraged JAX travelers to check with their airline ahead of their trips.
“It is important that travelers check with their airline for any impact these changes may have on their scheduled flight,” Stewart said.
The FAA said the reductions would start at 4% and ramp up to 10% by Nov. 14. They are to be in effect between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and impact all commercial airlines.
The agency said the cutbacks are necessary to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers who have been working without pay for more than a month. Many are pulling six-day work weeks with mandatory overtime, and increasing numbers of them have begun calling out as the financial strain and exhaustion mount.
The order comes as the Trump administration is ramping up pressure on Democrats in Congress to end the shutdown.
Travelers at JAX were arriving earlier at the airport to check in for their flights to make sure things are still good to go. News4JAX observed travelers constantly at the boards that list the different flights.
One woman who spent the last five months planning a trip to Italy with her family told News4JAX that the government shutdown changed her plans at the last minute.
So she’s flying from JAX to Atlanta, then from ATL to Amsterdam, and then from Amsterdam to Florence.
But her layover in Atlanta has more than doubled, meaning she’s going to miss one of those flights.
“We already had a two-and-a-half-hour layover in Atlanta, now it’s going to be about a five-hour layover,” Jill Damato said. “Which means we’re gonna miss our flight in Amsterdam to Florence. So we have to rebook.”
Damato said, so far, her airline, Delta, has been willing to work with her.
“Delta has said, ‘Reach out. We will help you navigate the whole thing.’ So when we get to Atlanta, we’ll go see what we can get changed,” Damato said.
Eric Dunn, who was on his way to San Jose, California, also has a connecting flight through Atlanta, but he said he is more concerned about his trip coming back than leaving.
“I think I will be pretty good leaving today. I’m really only worried about coming home because it is a later flight in the day,” Dunn said. “So I will probably have to look to see if there’s anything earlier in the day just to save myself. Because I feel like the later you fly in the day, the more chance there is for a delay in cancellation. I will probably be proactive about changing my flight coming back home to something earlier.”
Michael Howell said his connecting flight through Charlotte to Mississippi has also been delayed.
“Originally, I had a three-hour layover, and now it’s about a four-hour layover because it’s delayed,” Howell said.
He said he’d been up since 5 a.m., and the delay means he won’t make it home until about 1:30 in the morning.
Airlines said they would try to minimize the impact on customers. Some planned to focus on slashing routes to and from small and medium-sized cities.
What to do if your flight is delayed or canceled
First of all, understand that the airline is expected to reimburse you if your flight is canceled. And airlines are waiving cancellation fees.
But carriers to not have to cover secondary costs such as food and hotel accommodations unless a delay or cancellation results from a contributing factor that is within the control of the airlines, according to the Department of Transportation.
So, get in line at the airline’s customer service desk.
While you wait, check the app for any flight options and hop on the phone with the airline’s customer service hotline or chat with a travel agent through the airline app.
Now, if you have an upcoming flight and want to be extra prepared, be sure to stay up to date on your flight status.
And pack some extra essentials in your carry-on in case your luggage is delayed during a layover.
Read the full list of impacted airports below:
- Anchorage International
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
- Boston Logan International
- Baltimore/Washington International
- Charlotte Douglas International
- Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
- Dallas Love
- Ronald Reagan Washington National
- Denver International
- Dallas/Fort Worth International
- Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
- Newark Liberty International
- Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International
- Honolulu International
- Houston Hobby
- Washington Dulles International
- George Bush Houston Intercontinental
- Indianapolis International
- New York John F Kennedy International
- Las Vegas McCarran International
- Los Angeles International
- New York LaGuardia
- Orlando International
- Chicago Midway
- Memphis International
- Miami International
- Minneapolis/St Paul International
- Oakland International
- Ontario International
- Chicago O’Hare International
- Portland International
- Philadelphia International
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International
- San Diego International
- Louisville International
- Seattle/Tacoma International
- San Francisco International
- Salt Lake City International
- Teterboro
- Tampa International
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Associated Press journalists Hallie Golden in Seattle, Safiyah Riddle in Montgomery, Alabama, and Wyatte Grantham-Philips in New York contributed.