Airports serving the largest cities in the US were slated to have thousands of flights canceled daily in a looming holiday travel nightmare sparked by the government shutdown.
The Federal Aviation Administration said a total of 40 airports across the country would be affected starting Friday as staffing shortages among air traffic controllers created an ‘unholy mess.’
The cutback stands to impact thousands of flights nationwide because the FAA directs more than 44,000 flights daily.
‘I’m not going to lie, it’s going to be an unholy mess for the next few days if these cuts go through,’ airline industry analyst Henry Harteveldt said.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford announced the 10 percent slowdown Wednesday, with Bedford admitting the airline industry could be headed for uncharted territory.
‘We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns,’ Bedford said. ‘I’m not aware in my 35-year history in the aviation market where we’ve had a situation where we’re taking these kinds of measures.’
President Trump told Republican senators during a breakfast meeting at the White House Tuesday that ‘we must get the government back open soon and really immediately.’
At the same meeting, Trump blamed major GOP’s losses in an off-year election on the shutdown – now the longest stalemate in US history.
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Airports in the United States’ six largest cities are among the 40 that will see thousands of flights canceled daily beginning Friday due to the government shutdown, including Denver International (pictured)
The same day Donald Trump told Republican insiders that the now record-setting shutdown was to blame for GOP losses in off-year elections the day before, the Federal Aviation Administration made the announcement
