Air travel disruptions are continuing on Wednesday, and even though lawmakers are in Washington to vote on a deal that may end the government shutdown, officials warned that delays and cancellations may persist.
Nearly 900 U.S. flights have been canceled as of midday, according to data from the tracking site FlightAware. Another 720 flights were delayed, though none of those delays were due to staffing.
Flight cuts are set to ramp up again on Thursday, meaning 8% of scheduled flights at 40 of the nation’s busiest airports will be canceled. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy warned that the impacts might become more serious if the deal to reopen the government does not pass.
“If this doesn’t open, you might have airlines that say ‘We’re going to ground our planes. We’re not going to fly anymore,'” Duffy warned on Tuesday night. “That’s how serious this is.”
Tuesday had fewer flight delays and cancellations than previous days. Air traffic control towers reported minimal staffing shortages. There were only four staffing triggers, or times when the air traffic controller levels fell below planned minimums, compared to the 81 that occurred on Saturday.
Even once the government reopens, reversing the flight cuts will not be immediate, Duffy said on Tuesday. The process may happen gradually, as the cuts themselves were phased in, he said. Duffy said that he and FAA safety officials would look at relevant data, including pilot complaints, incidents where planes fly too close together, and runway incursions before reversing any of the cuts.
Delta CEO Ed Bastien told CNBC that he believed the airline’s operations would normalize shortly after the end of the shutdown.
The House is expected to vote on the deal to end the shutdown on Wednesday, and once passed, the bill will head to President Trump’s desk. The shutdown will end once Mr. Trump signs the bill.
Delta had 2,500 cancellations in recent days, which Bastien said was a “crazy amount” that had cost the airline significantly. Travelers should be able to fly as scheduled for Thanksgiving as long as the shutdown ends soon, Bastien said.
“We’re going to be OK for Thanksgiving. We’re going to be OK,” he said. “We got to get the vote done, and so we’re counting on Congress doing their job and making that happen. But Thanksgiving will be fine.”
The uncertainty is leaving flyers anxious.
“We’re just hoping and praying for the best,” said Marlyn Mayo, who was flying from Washington, D.C. to Dallas-Fort Worth in Texas.