Thursday marks 37 days since the government has shut down. It’s now the longest government shutdown in United States history.
Hundreds of thousands of workers have been furloughed and hundreds of thousands more, including Transportation Security Agency (TSA) agents and air traffic controllers, are still working without pay across the country.
That’s having an impact on airport travel. Starting Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) plans to reduce air traffic by up to 10% in 40 "high-volume" markets, including San Diego International Airport.
Operations were normal on Thursday morning when Virginia State University student Sean Cooper II arrived in San Diego and learned about the planned flight reductions.
He said he’d only seen minor delays at TSA at the airport in Richmond. He’s scheduled to fly back on Sunday.
“I'll be honest, I’m a bit worried now,” Cooper said.
While he’s concerned about flight cancellations, he said he’s also thinking about the families he knows that have been affected by the shutdown.
“I pray that this ends for more than just my own personal inconvenience,” he said. “There are people that are going through so many more hard times than I can compare to — ‘Oh I might miss this test.’ There are people who are missing out on getting paid.”
The FAA said they’re imposing the flight reductions to relieve pressure on air traffic controllers, who have been increasingly calling off work.
“Everyone’s job has stress. And if you were to go this long with an unknown future, especially about your pay, you'd experience the same thing,” said Diverse Vector Aviation Consulting CEO Kevin Karpé.
He’s a former air traffic controller, who has been through past government shutdowns.
Karpé said this is an unprecedented announcement from the FAA — and warns to expect delays and cancellations across the U.S.
“If the shutdown continues, I think we'll see more than a 10% reduction in flights,” he said. “I think the FAA administrator will be more proactive and try to reduce the stress on the national airspace system and the controllers.”
San Diego International Airport is advising passengers to “check their flight status before coming to the airport,” and to get there no less than two hours ahead of time.
It’s unclear when the reduced flights could end. But as long as the government remains shut down, Karpé said there will be significant strain for the air traffic controllers who are missing paychecks.
