Fourteen-year-old Cash Bullock expressed what many travelers were likely feeling as they arrived on a foggy Friday morning clouded in uncertainty at Los Angeles International Airport.
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“I hope everything goes smoothly because I wouldn’t want to get stuck in New Jersey because that’s not like my hometown,” Cash said. “This is my hometown.”
Cash was flying with family to New Jersey on a 7 a.m. flight, but they arrived at LAX around 3 a.m. due to fears over cancellations and delays stemming from the government shutdown. The FAA said it was gradually decrease flight capacity at 40 major airports, including LAX and Ontario International Airport, starting on Friday.
The gradual reductions start with a 4% cut Friday followed by 6% Nov. 11, 8% Nov. 13 and 10% Nov. 14.
Cash and his mom were planning to catch their flight back home on Sunday.
“So far, this morning, everything’s looking good,” said Devra Bullock. “I’m just worried about the flight coming back out of New Jersey to LAX because it sounds like a lot of the flights are going to be canceled and delayed. Hoping for the best.”
Hundreds of flights were canceled Friday morning from coast-to-coast, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.com, including more than 50 cancellations at LAX. As of 9:30 a.m., FlightAware reported just under 100 delays at LAX.
Other early morning travelers who spoke with NBCLA said their flights were on time. Gianna Fartangelo, who was flying home to Rochester, NY, said her main concerns were for the federal government employees affected by the longest shutdown in U.S. history.
“I kept checking like the TikToks and all the social media, and I think it made it seem a lot worse than it actually is,” Farangelo said. “It seems fine, so far. I was checking over and over, and it kept saying, “On Time.” I think I’m lucky because I’m going from a hub city to another hub city, which United said they weren’t going to cancel… from hub to hub.
“I feel so bad for the TSA workers and the air traffic control.”
Federal authorities warned earlier this week that flight delays or cancellations were possible as the U.S. Department of Transportation imposes a 10% cutback on flight capacities at 40 major airports nationally. The shutdown led to staffing issues among air-traffic controllers, who are considered essential workers instructed to continue working, despite the closure and not receiving paychecks.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday the reductions in capacity at 40 high-volume airports. NBC News obtained a list of impacted airports where the flight cuts would be made, which the FAA was expected to officially announce on Thursday.
Five California airports are on the list, including LAX, Ontario International Airport, San Diego International Airport, Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.
Los Angeles International Airport is among the top five busiest airfields in the nation.
Airlines have been issuing alerts to passengers to be aware of possible flight impacts.
United Airlines posted a message on its website stating, “We’re making updates to our schedule and will let you know if your flight is affected as soon as possible, but anyone flying between Nov. 6 and 13 can request a refund or reschedule for free.”
Southwest Airlines posted a notice saying the vast majority of its customers will not be affected, but said anyone with flights booked through Wednesday can adjust their travel plans at no cost, “or receive a refund if they choose not to travel, regardless of whether their flight is affected.”
Delta Air Lines also advised customers of flight reductions, and provided guidance for travelers about how they can change or cancel their flights without any financial penalties. In a statement early Friday, Delta Air Lines said all planned FAA flight cancellations for Nov. 7-9 have been completed.
Frontier Airlines stated that it expects most of its flights to operate as planned, but it will communicate with passengers whose travel plans may be impacted by the cuts.
Here are some tips for air travelers.
Below, the list of airports impacted by the FAA’s decision.
“United’s long-haul international flying and our hub-to-hub flying will not be impacted by this schedule reduction direction from the FAA. That’s important to maintain the integrity of our network, give impacted customers as many options as possible to resume their trip, and sustain our crew pairing systems,” wrote Scott Kirby, United Airlines CEO. “Instead, we will focus our schedule reductions on regional flying and domestic mainline flights that do not travel between our hubs.”
