FAA announces reductions at major U.S. airports ahead of busy Palm Springs travel weekend
Garrett Hottle
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – The Federal Aviation Administration is set to cut flight volume at 40 U.S. airports. Palm Springs International Airport is not one of those airports; however, it does have flights to some of the destinations on the list.
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.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said the cuts are set to start Friday if the shutdown continues.
“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.”
PSP spokesperson Jake Ingrassia wrote in a statement that travelers are encouraged to contact their airline directly for the most up-to-date flight information.
You can also check for updates on PSP’s Flight Status page.
Check Out: Here’s what to do if your flight is canceled or delayed
According to the air-travel tracking website FlightAware, 19 flights originating at LAX have already been canceled on Friday, along with 17 incoming flights, as of early Thursday afternoon. By comparison, only four outbound and four inbound flight cancellations were reported at LAX on Thursday.
At Ontario, two outbound and two incoming flights on Friday had already been canceled by Thursday afternoon, compared to none on Thursday.
In San Diego, seven inbound Friday flights had already been canceled as of Thursday, along with nine inbound flights. That compared to only one each on Thursday.
News Channel 3’s Garrett Hottle will have more on the issue. Watch his report starting at 4 p.m.
List of Airports’ flight capacity reduction:
1 ANC Anchorage International
2 ATL Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
3 BOS Boston Logan International
4 BWI Baltimore/Washington International
5 CLT Charlotte Douglas International
6 CVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
7 DAL Dallas Love
8 DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National
9 DEN Denver International
10 DFW Dallas/Fort Worth International
11 DTW Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
12 EWR Newark Liberty International
13 FLL Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International
14 HNL Honolulu International
15 HOU Houston Hobby
16 IAD Washington Dulles International
17 IAH George Bush Houston Intercontinental
18 IND Indianapolis International
19 JFK New York John F Kennedy International
20 LAS Las Vegas McCarran International
21 LAX Los Angeles International
22 LGA New York LaGuardia
23 MCO Orlando International
24 MDW Chicago Midway
25 MEM Memphis International
26 MIA Miami International
27 MSP Minneapolis/St Paul International
28 OAK Oakland International
29 ONT Ontario International
30 ORD Chicago O`Hare International
31 PDX Portland International
32 PHL Philadelphia International
33 PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor International
34 SAN San Diego International
35 SDF Louisville International
36 SEA Seattle/Tacoma International
37 SFO San Francisco International
38 SLC Salt Lake City International
39 TEB Teterboro
40 TPA Tampa International