Flight cancellations in the US - what travelers need to know

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that thousands of flights will be canceled starting Friday. The reason for this is the "shutdown" (suspension of government work), which also affected air traffic control. Some airports affected by this problem are already known.

"Shutdown" in the USA has been going on for 37 days already - Democrats and Republicans cannot agree on the budget. The government shutdown is also affecting air travel: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Wednesday that he would order air traffic at 40 of the nation's largest airports to be reduced by about ten percent. All this will happen on Friday. The root of the problem is the disruptions created in the air traffic control service due to the "shutdown". Air traffic controllers don't get paid

US lawmakers can't approve the budget. Because of this, air traffic controllers are currently not being paid. According to Sean Duff, because of this problem, many of them started working part-time in other jobs. This is the result of "shutdown Staff shortage and tens of thousands of flight delays created after the start of NIS.

According to the American media, Transport Secretary Duffy and the US Federal Aviation Administration planned a meeting with the airlines on Wednesday, the details of which are expected to be published today. "Associated Press" agency reports about the list that was sent to the airlines. From this list, it is clear that the delay concerns the airports with the highest intensity of flights in Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami and San Francisco. In major cities such as New York, Houston and Chicago, flight cancellations affect several airports. According to the news agency "Reuters", the FAA plans that the reduction of flights will not be extended to international flights. What do flight cancellations mean for travelers?

The German Tourism Association (DRV) predicts that the US Federal Aviation Administration will release more precise details later today. However, the spokesperson of DRV also noted that tourist packages m Owners have nothing to worry about: if their flights are cancelled, tour operators will rebook flights or offer alternative flights.

In case of individual booking, passengers should take care of it themselves and contact the airline personally. However, major US airlines such as United Airlines and Southwest Airlines have already announced that they will notify customers of flight delays themselves and do so as quickly as possible.

A Lufthansa spokesman said they were still investigating "any impact on the airline's flight schedule".

It is not yet known how long the flight delays will last. Perhaps until the US government resumes work and the longest "shutdown" in the country's history ends.

Source: 1 channel