Related FAA readies to list airports getting reduced flights during the government shutdown
BOSTON (WHDH) – According to the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), flights scheduled to depart out of Logan Friday are starting to be canceled.
The cancellations come after the Federal Aviation Administration announced the 40 airports that should expect a reduction in flights due to the ongoing federal government shutdown that became the longest in history on Tuesday.
In a statement, Massport said, “We are starting to see cancellations tomorrow at Boston Logan due to FAA flight reductions. We are expecting airlines to reach out to passengers directly. We urge passengers to check with their airline before coming to the airport.”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the move is not political, it’s about safety.
“This was a data driven decision to make the right calls to get ahead of any issues that could happen,” Duffy said.
Air traffic controllers are required to keep working, but they have now missed two full paychecks since the shutdown began.
“When you don’t pay somebody for 37 days and say, ‘hey, just keep showing up and do your best,’ people are going to have issues and they’re mounting daily,” said Nick Daniels, President of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
Mike Scoma is having to spend the night in Boston due to cancellations. He said he travels for work, and is trying to keep things in perspective.
“At least I’m getting paid. I know there’s people out there, these guys are not even getting paid and they’re still here doing their jobs, so if I got to spend another night in Boston, there’s worse things in life,” Scoma said.
Former head of Massport Tom Kinton predicts that airlines will ask for a grace period.
“The airlines have already sold tickets, the crews have their schedules, pilots, flight attendants and you know its just going to put them in a very difficult position,” Kinton said.
The changes will begin on Friday.
“Our federal partners have continued to come to work admirably under challenging circumstances, and we remain in close communication with them, as well as with our airline partners, to minimize disruptions and keep passengers informed,” Massport said.
Brad Wilson and his wife were planning on a quick trip to Boston this weekend to celebrate her birthday, but they’ve canceled their trip due to complications and worry about flights.
“Maybe our flight would have made it. We didn’t want to chance it. We didn’t want to be stuck in Boston for another 24 hours,” Wilson said. “We’ve got dog sitters we have to relief. We’ve got jobs we have to get back to and it just wasn’t worth chancing it.”
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