If you're flying soon, you're probably following the daily news headlines with a lot of dread. The Federal Aviation Administration announced this week that it would slash flight capacity by 10% at 40 high-traffic US airports beginning Friday. The cuts are due to a record-long government shutdown that has affected air traffic controllers, who are working without pay and were already shorthanded even before the disruption began on Oct. 1.
There's no set end time for the flight reduction, which could spread beyond those 40 airports. Looming in the background is the high-volume holiday travel season.
A representative for the FAA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier in the week, airline employees were already bracing for flight disruptions. On Wednesday morning, CNET Senior Editor Corinne Reichert was buckled into her seat on a Southwest Airlines aircraft getting ready for an in-state flight in California. While on the runway, the pilot told passengers it wasn't clear if the shutdown would affect that day's flights and to "keep your fingers crossed."
Read on below for what to know about traveling amid the government shutdown. And for other travel tips, see our smart travel checklist, guidelines on travel essentials to pack and how to avoid TSA checkpoint headaches.
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Is my airport affected?
Almost certainly. The FAA did not release an official list, but numerous media sites, including NBC News, report these are the 40 airports affected for now, listed alphabetically by their three-letter airport code.
Anchorage International (ANC)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
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