FAA announces reductions at major U.S. airports ahead of busy Palm Springs travel weekend
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
