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CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — A month-long federal government shutdown is now disrupting air travel nationwide, with the U.S. Department of Transportation ordering a 4% reduction in traffic at the country’s 40 busiest airports due to rising safety risks linked to unpaid, short-staffed air traffic controllers.
While Buffalo Niagara International Airport is not on the list of airports facing direct cutbacks, the ripple effects are being felt throughout Western New York. Many travelers must connect through major hubs to reach their final destinations, resulting in numerous cancellations and a similar number of delays for flights coming into and out of Buffalo on Friday.
The travel disruptions are hitting fans headed to Miami for this weekend’s Bills–Dolphins game especially hard. One traveler described how quickly delays escalated.
“I had a friend, she flew yesterday, and she said they were telling her that (Friday) would be horrible, and we were watching it very closely, and they were great about it, though. It was 15 minutes, then it was a half-hour, now it’s an hour, and hopefully that’s it,” she said.
Transportation officials warn that if the shutdown continues without resolution, even further reductions in flight volume at major airports are planned. That would mean more cancellations and delays nationwide — and, through the domino effect, additional disruptions in Buffalo in the days ahead.
A number of flights in an out of Buffalo on Friday were canceled. Those flights were to and from the nation’s 40 busiest airports where the federal government has ordered traffic to be reduced for safety reasons.
Air traffic controllers have not been paid since the start of the government shutdown.
