Source: DailyNews.com

Airlines have been issuing alerts to passengers to be aware of possible flight impacts; no end to government shutdown in sight.

The initial waves of flight cancellations were issued as flyers planning to depart from Los Angeles, Ontario and San Diego international airports were told to expect flight delays or cancellations starting this morning as the U.S. Department of Transportation gradually imposes a 10% cutback on flight capacities at scores of major airports nationally.

Nearly 1,000 planned Friday flights nationwide were cut from airline schedules, according to FlightAware, a website that tracks flight disruptions. That number, already four times higher than Thursday’s daily total, was likely to keep climbing.

Already, some travelers at the two affected Southern California airports were running into flight cancelations or connecting flights being canceled, stymying their travel plans.

In the Bay Area, San Francisco Airport (SFO) was placed into a full ground stop shortly before 4 a.m. due to staffing, according to an advisory issued by the FAA. No arriving flights are being allowed into SFO on Friday morning.

“Due to staffing, departure traffic destined to San Francisco International Airport … will not be allowed to depart until at or after 8:45 a.m. PST,” an air traffic statement from the airport said, reported NBC News Bay Area.

As of 4 a.m., SFO was experiencing average ground delays of one hour and six minutes, according to a second FAA advisory.

Donte Anderson, 28, from Santa Ana had on a bright red sweatshirt with his next destination written across it, San Francisco. But, he won’t be flying directly from LAX to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) as he planned. Instead, it will be taking him four times longer to get to the Golden Gate city, Anderson said.

“My flight was supposed to be direct, but I’m flying into Eureka for a layover of two and a half, three hours, then I get to SFO at around 5 p.m.,” Anderson said. “My flight’s taking four hours, so it’s four times longer.”

At SFO, air-traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1, and most have been on duty six days a week while putting in mandatory overtime. With some calling out of work due to frustration, taking second jobs or not having money for child care or gas, staffing shortages during some shifts have led to flight delays at a number of U.S. airports.

“Hopefully we can get them taken care of,” Anderson said of the air-traffic controllers. “Everyone needs to feed their families. I provide for my son and my family so I can only imagine working without pay. It’s stressful, causes anxiety. I feel bad for them, truly.”

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday the reductions in capacity at 40 high-volume airports to maintain travel safety as air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown.

Major airlines were told by transportation officials that reductions would be phased in, starting at 4% Friday, increasing to 6% by Nov. 11, 8% by Nov. 13, and up to 10% by Nov. 14. According to lists obtained by various media outlets, the airports in Los Angeles, Ontario and San Diego are among those impacted.

As of  Friday morning at 11 a.m. 54 flights had been canceled at LAX and 121 flights delayed, according to  FlightAware.com. Of those canceled, 30 were on SkyWest, six on Southwest, four each on Delta and Frontier, two on Swiss, JetBlue, Horizon and United and one on Spirit. Flight boards showed Southwest Airlines had canceled several flights to Phoenix.

LAX, the eighth-busiest airport in the world serving over 75 million guests in 2023, was one of 40 airports nationwide required to make the cuts. LAX is among the top five busiest airfields in the nation.

The bustle of travelers at LAX on Friday morning went on as usual despite dozens of flight cancellations and long delays due to the FAA announcing earlier this week that it planned to cut air traffic by 10% at 40 airports nationwide by next week.

Near the American Airline terminal at LAX, Karina Segura, 47, from Los Angeles, stopped to check the flight information screens. Segura was on her way to Hawaii for a short vacation.

“I kept watching it for the past couple of days just to see,” Segura said, “and then yesterday, when I checked in they’re already asking if you want to change your flight for no fee.

“I was stressed coming here,“ Segura added. “I was expecting this place to be a lot worse, but it hasn’t been bad.”

At Ontario airport, eight flights in and out of ONT scheduled for Friday had been canceled, compared to none on Thursday, according to FlightAware, with the most by Southwest, United and Alaska airlines.

Randi Stuwart, a 40-year-old event producer from Redlands, planned to fly from Ontario to Seattle for a family vacation. Stuwart was supposed to leave at 6 a.m., but yesterday she received an email that her flight had been canceled. She rerouted her flight plans, but more obstacles arose.

“I rescheduled through another airline that was supposed to leave and would board at 7:17 a.m., but then right before I got here, I saw that it’s delayed to 10:20 a.m.,”  Stuwart said. If her flight is delayed any longer, she said, it could lead to her incurring additional hotel fees.

While travelers said Ontario airport was quiet Friday morning, some still felt the sting of flight reductions ordered by the FAA.

Ontario resident Joanne Stewart, 50, was concerned she may not get to see her ill mother in Mississippi. The cancelation of her connecting flight from Atlanta to her destination worried her. She makes trips to see her mother several times a year, often booking flights months in advance. She said she didn’t see this shutdown coming.

“I’m gonna have to probably find another flight, or might have to just drive,” she said, adding she has driven to see her mom before. “It’s not easy. It’s a very long drive. But how else am I going to do it?”

In San Diego, seven inbound flights scheduled for today had already been canceled, along with nine inbound flights. That compared to only one each on Thursday.

In all, five California airports — LAX, ONT, San Diego International Airport, Oakland International Airport and San Francisco International Airport — are on the list. Orange County’s John Wayne Airport, however, is not included in the 10% reduction in flight capacity and neither were Long Beach or Hollywood-Burbank.

Nonetheless, travelers departing from smaller airports may face delays going into an affected airport.

The flight reductions arrive just weeks before the busy holiday season. Passengers with plans for the weekend and beyond waited nervously to see if their flights would take off as scheduled. Some travelers began changing or canceling itineraries preemptively.

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.”

“We will communicate directly with affected customers as soon as possible,” according to Southwest.

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.

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.

“Customers whose flights are canceled or delayed for more than three hours (domestic flights) or six hours (international flights) are able to rebook or to request a refund,” according to the airline.

The cuts are the result of the ongoing federal government shutdown, which has led to staffing issues among air-traffic controllers. The controllers are considered essential workers who are instructed to continue working despite the closure, and not receiving paychecks.

On Friday, Airlines for America (A4A), a trade association for major airlines, released a statement:

“The FAA has ordered U.S. airlines to cut flights in order to maintain the safety and reliability of the National Airspace System (NAS). Safety is our shared top priority, and we will comply with the FAA’s order while working to mitigate disruption for travelers.

“We are now 38 days into this unprecedented shutdown—the longest in our country’s history. Air traffic controllers and TSA officers are receiving yet another empty paycheck,” read the A4A statement. The trade group urged Congress “to act with extreme urgency to get the federal government reopened” and pay federal workers so the airspace can return to normal.

“This simply is not sustainable. Time is of the essence.”

Air travel experts say the airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were working together, in order to figure out what flights would be canceled for the next week to meet the ultimate 10% quota at the 40 airports. But the airlines are in a time crunch to respond.

The cuts could include up to 1,800 flights per day and about 268,000 seats combined, according to The Associated Press.

“I anticipate there will be additional disruptions,” Duffy said during a Washington, D.C., news conference Wednesday afternoon. “There will be frustration. We are working with the airlines. They’re going to work with passengers. But in the end, our sole role is to make sure that we keep this airspace as safe as possible.”

The past weekend brought some of the worst staffing issues since the start of the government shutdown.

From Friday to Sunday evening, at least 39 air traffic control facilities nationwide reported potential staffing limits, according to an AP analysis of operations plans shared through the Air Traffic Control System Command Center system. The figure, which is likely an undercount, was well above the average for weekends before the shutdown.

In addition to the cutbacks in commercial air travel, the FAA is imposing a new restriction Monday on commercial space launches and reentries across the country — including at Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County. Starting Monday, launches and reentries will only be permitted between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.