BAY AREA AIRPORTS continued to see flight cancellations Monday after the Federal Aviation Administration asked airlines to reduce their schedules by up to 10 percent as the federal government shutdown continued.
More than 75 flights were canceled across five different local airports from Santa Rosa to Monterey as airlines continue to cut flights, many of which are predominantly short-haul regional flights across the West Coast of the United States.
Aviation data website FlightAware reported canceled flights at the following airports across the region on Monday:
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) — 37
- Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) — 16
- San Jose International Airport (SJC) — 16
- Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) — 6
- Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) — 4
The destinations most affected by canceled flights included Los Angeles (LAX), Portland (PDX), and Seattle (SEA).
Smaller regional airports not spared
While flight cancellations largely affected major hubs, smaller Bay Area airports are also losing their connectivity to destinations across the country.
Monterey and Santa Rosa regional airports are closer and more convenient for travelers located in more rural parts of the Bay Area. Their limited number of daily flights have seen a decrease since the reduction announcement last week.
Monterey Airport interim executive director Chris Morello said the airport anticipated cancellations to its destinations across the country.
“MRY is not on the list of airports that has to do reductions, but we are impacted since all of our flights originate or depart to the airports required to do reductions,” Morello said Friday.
The longest government shutdown in history has meant federal employees have gone at least a month without receiving a paycheck.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the financial strain on workers has resulted in some working extra jobs to make ends meet, potentially risking their ability to fully conduct their duties.
“I do not want them to take side jobs, I want them to show up for work,” said Duffy at a news conference last week. “I am not naive to understand that they’re trying to figure how they meet their daily obligations.”
The president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, Nick Daniels, remarked in a news release on Oct. 31 that controllers are under extreme scrutiny as they face personal financial and mental health challenges that have been made worse during the government shutdown.
“For this nation’s air traffic controllers, missing just one paycheck can be a significant hardship, as it is for all working Americans. Asking them to go without a full month’s pay or more is simply not sustainable,” said Daniels. “Congress must pass a clean continuing resolution to immediately end the government shutdown, ensure that all individuals who have not been paid during this prolonged closure receive their compensation, and then engage in bipartisan negotiations on other pressing issues facing our nation.”
Over the past few years, AAA’s annual holiday predictions estimated more than 5 million people had traveled by air during the Thanksgiving holiday week.
While airlines have yet to announce the cancellations farther than a week out, the future remains uncertain as to how air travel during the upcoming holiday season may be affected.
Shutdown’s end won’t immediately help flights
Even though the U.S. Senate finally broke through its weeks-long stalemate to reach an agreement to end the shutdown and reopen the federal government late Monday, the bill also needs to clear the House and final passage could be days away. Duffy made clear last week that flight cuts will remain in place until the FAA sees staffing levels stabilize at its air traffic control facilities.
And because the flight disruptions are widespread and ongoing, many planes aren’t where they’re supposed to be, which could also slow the airlines’ return to normal operations even after the FAA lifts the order, said Mike Taylor, who leads research on airports and airlines at J.D. Power.
“If you think about it, there’s all these aircraft that didn’t fly where they were supposed to on a normal route,” Taylor said, noting airlines will need to track down all their planes, figure out where each needs to be, and find pilots and cabin crew for those flights.
Since Friday, airlines have canceled about 8,000 flights under orders to drop 4% of flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports. That will rise to 6% on Tuesday and 10% by this week’s end, the FAA said.
One in 10 flights nationwide were scratched Sunday — the fourth worst day for cancellations in almost two years, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Airlines make adjustments
The Bay Area was among the places that axed flights over the weekend to comply with the FAA order.
Southwest Airlines, the fifth-largest carrier at SFO by market share, said it cut flights nationwide by just under 100 on Saturday and over 150 on Sunday. FlightAware said about 20 flights combined from both SFO and Oakland were canceled.
Airline officials said customers would be notified using contact information they provided at the time of booking.
“All Southwest customers with travel booked through next Wednesday, Nov. 12, may choose to adjust their travel plans at no cost or receive a refund if they choose not to travel, regardless of whether their flight is affected. International flights will not be impacted,” the airline said in a statement.
SkyWest Airlines, a regional carrier that operates flights on behalf of Alaska, American, Delta, and United airlines, canceled more than 350 flights across the country.
FlightAware said 29 SkyWest flights from SFO and OAK would be cut with more potentially as the situation changes.
Earlier Friday, flights to SFO from within 1,000 nautical miles, which included all flights within California and as far as Colorado, were briefly suspended before resuming later in the morning with major delays. Aircraft were not allowed to depart to SFO because of a reported lack of air traffic controllers needed to safely direct them.
“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,” FAA Administrator Bryan 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.”
Travelers are advised to check with their airlines through their respective websites, phone apps, and personnel at the airport for further information.
Additional reporting by The Associated Press.
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