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Travelers were bracing for widespread flight delays after the Federal Aviation Administration announced it will slash capacity at 40 “high traffic” locations starting Friday.
NBC News has obtained a list of airports that would be affected by the flight cuts, which the FAA is expected to announce on Thursday. These airports include Chicago O’Hare, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Miami International Airport and all three New York-area airports.
Jeff Guzzetti, an aircraft accident investigator who has worked for both the NTSB and Federal Aviation Administration, said the federal government has never slashed capacity like this before.
“The closest comparison would be shutting down the airspace during Sept. 11,” Guzzetti said, referring to the two-day shutdown of the U.S. airspace following the terror attacks in 2001.
The FAA issued an alert Thursday morning saying passengers at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport could expect delays of 45 to 90 minutes or more due to what it called “staffing” problems. The move comes as aviation officials seek to ease pressure on air traffic controllers amid the government shutdown.
A record-long shutdown has added to the fatigue plaguing air traffic controllers, critical federal workers who were already grappling with a staffing shortage before the shutdown.
The cuts will start to take effect on Friday, Day 38 of the shutdown, and just ahead of Thanksgiving, one of the busiest air travel periods of the year. Airlines were told by Department of Transportation officials Wednesday night that flight cuts would start at 4% Friday, 5% Saturday and ramp up to 10% next week, two airline sources told NBC News.
Traveler DeKerry Davis said it’s been “awful” at Reagan National on Thursday, as American Airlines passengers have been unable to print boarding passes or checked bag tickets. It’s unclear what the issue was, but Davis said the computer system appeared to be down.
“I came early because I was concerned about how this shutdown was affecting travel,” Davis said. “I had heard about the long lines and all that kind of stuff, so I came early, and I wish they would figure it out and get it fixed.”
And though all seemed calm on Thursday morning at Terminal B of the constantly buzzing LaGuardia International Airport in New York, people told NBC News they were already concerned about what would happen as the holidays approached, with no solution in sight.
Delay after delay on Thursday left Jon Pax, 26, worried he wouldn’t make his connection home to Madison, Wisconsin. In New York City for work, Pax said he was considering renting a car or using a ride-share service in case he ended up stranded in Chicago.
He’s already considering changing his Thanksgiving plans.
“We’re gonna drive from Wisconsin to Cleveland, which is normally a quick flight, but it’s gonna be an eight- or nine-hour drive instead,” Pax said.
Pax feels that lawmakers need to “figure it out” regarding the shutdown. It’s more than a political game, and it’s “bogus” how many air traffic controllers and TSA employees are working without pay.
“Especially as the shutdowns extend and become longer and longer, it just puts so much more of a financial strain on people, right?” Pax said. “In an ideal world, everyone has their six-month emergency fund and whatever, but that’s just not the case in today’s day and age.”
Michelle Travis, 59, was traveling back to San Antonio with her daughter Thursday afternoon and had been delayed 20 minutes when she spoke with NBC News. She said she was happy that their travel was scheduled before the FAA cuts were announced, but added that it’s absolutely factoring into their holiday plans.
“We were considering flying to Florida and/or driving, and for sure, now we’re driving for Thanksgiving,” Travis said.
For Andy Ademe, 35, the shutdown is just adding more stress around airline travel.
“I had some hesitancy about flying out for this business trip, because I’m actually going on vacation with my family tomorrow,” Ademe said. “So I’ve already had an hour of delays today, not related to the shutdown, just mechanical, but it’s definitely been a concern of mine.”
Airlines had been hoping to build on the momentum that led to a successful third quarter, but it’s uncertain whether the year-end forecasts will weather the political storm.
United Airlines reported that its third quarter, which ended in September, exceeded expectations, with operating revenue growing 2.6% year over year to $15.2 billion. It boasted that the company could thrive in an “economically volatile year.”
The airlines added that they expected the end of the year to “have the highest total operating revenue for a single quarter in company history,” according to a press release.
But in an Oct. 16 earnings call, United CEO and Director J. Scott Kirby told shareholders that he was not sure how the shutdown would affect the business.
“Every day that goes by, the risk to the U.S. economy grows,” Kirby said. “So I hope we will avoid an unforced error here.”
Delta Air Lines, which reported a record September-quarter revenue of $15.2 billion, appeared less concerned in its own Oct. 9 earnings call. Glen William Hauenstein said at the time that the company had not seen a material impact, though the shutdown was just over a week in.
Hauenstein still said that Delta expected revenue growth of 2% to 4% for the December quarter.
American Airlines’ earnings call happened later in the month, 23 days into the government shutdown. CEO Robert Isom said he was in “constant contact” with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as the company was losing less than $1 million a day in revenue.
“So the impact, while it’s there, is something that I’m quite confident when the government reopens, there’s going to be some pent-up demand,” Isom said. “And hopefully, we get back on track pretty quick.”
But airlines are now being asked to collaborate in an effort to “reduce their schedules pro rata through the day,” FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said Wednesday.
Bedford said the affected airports were chosen based on data, including voluntary safety disclosure reports from commercial air transport pilots that revealed fatigue-related pressure points.
Bedford described the FAA action as “proactive.” Should the shutdown end soon, Bedford said, the cuts would end when there’s a “return to controller performance” at pre-shutdown levels.
Should things worsen, Bedford said, additional measures could be taken in specific markets.
Delta said in a statement Thursday that it “expects to operate the vast majority of our flights as scheduled, including all long-haul international service, and will work to minimize customer impact while keeping safety our top priority.”
Delta said it would provide “additional flexibility” to passengers, including the ability to change, cancel or refund flights with no extra charge.
American Airlines offered customers a similar option to change their flight or request a refund without any penalty. The airline said in a statement Thursday that the “vast majority” of travel will be unaffected, but it will reach out to those affected.
Disrupting plans is “the last thing we want to do,” American Airlines said.
“In the meantime, we continue to urge leaders in Washington to reach an immediate resolution to end the shutdown,” the statement added.
Kate Reilly is a news associate with NBC News.
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Jay Blackman is an NBC News producer covering such areas as transportation, space, medical and consumer issues.
Tom Costello is an NBC News correspondent based in Washington, D.C.  
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