FAA is reducing flights at 40 U.S. airports. Here's how Canadian travel will be affected

canadian river travellers border for the United States in the next few years may need to check out their flights.

While international flights are exempt from the Federal Aviation Administration's plan to reduce air traffic by 10 per cent across 40 of the busiest U.S. Airports, Canadians could still see some cancelled flights and delayed itineraries due to the cascading effects of the federal government shutdown south of the border.

"We are monitoring the situation and awaiting more details on the planned reductions," the airline said in an email statement.

Here's a closer look at what to know:

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Wednesday it would cut flights by 10 per cent across 40 airports — including major hubs such as New York City and Chicago — starting Friday due to the U.S. Government shutdown.

The agency said the reduction is necessary to maintain travel safety as unpaid air traffic controllers exhibit signs of strain during the shutdown — now the longest ever at 37 days and counting.

Airports in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, along with hubs across the U.S., are among the 40 that will see flights cut starting Friday.

The airports impacted cover the busiest across the U.S. — including Atlanta, Denver, Dallas, Orlando, Miami and San Francisco. In some of the biggest cities — such as New York, Houston and Chicago — multiple airports will be affected.

A list is included at the bottom of this story. 

U.S. Government shutdown to force domestic flight reductions

Airlines are currently figuring this out.

Reuters is reporting that the plan will exempt international flights and that the cuts will apply to flights between 6 a.m. And 10 p.m. The FAA is also imposing drastic restrictions on space launches and general aviation.

The cuts could include up to 1,800 flights and about 268,000 seats combined, according to one estimate reported by The Associated Press. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines both said they would offer refunds to travellers who opt not to fly, even if they have tickets that aren’t normally refundable.

Canadian airlines operate thousands of cross-border flights weekly, with connections to hundreds of different routes via partner carriers.

"All carriers operating in the U.S. Have been affected. For our part, we have experienced a limited number of manageable delays to this point but ... This is an ongoing situation," the airline said.

Air Canada said it was offering a "goodwill policy" to allow customers connecting onto U.S. Domestic flights with United Airlines to change or defer their travel with no change fee.

"Our team is managing the disruptions," Porter said in an email statement. "For those who have flexibility, complimentary moves to some U.S. Destinations are available through Monday, when space permits."

The department added that travellers leaving Canadian airports should check the status of their flights in advance.

John Gradek, a lecturer in aviation management at McGill University in Montreal, told The Canadian Press that the North American air travel system is integrated. American airport delays affecting planes destined for Canada could cause cascading delays throughout the Canadian system, he said.

But Gradek said that's not the only problem. Another one is airspace.

If someone is flying from southern Ontario to Western Canada, he said, "a significant portion of that flight is overflying U.S. Airspace." Canadian travellers bound for Mexico also fly over the United States, he said.

If the specialized air traffic controllers who handle that part of American airspace stop showing up to work, it could hinder Canadians' travel plans, he said.

Senior Writer & Editor

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