BOSTON — Friday flight cancellations at Logan International Airport started rolling in on Thursday afternoon after the FAA announced Boston would be impacted by government shutdown-related cuts.
Logan Airport is among 40 airports nationwide that will see a reduction in flights as the record-long shutdown drags on, officials announced Thursday.
In a statement, the Massachusetts Port Authority told Boston 25 News, “Boston Logan has been named as one of 40 airports that may experience a reduction in flights in order to maintain the operational safety of the nation’s airspace.”
This comes after Federal Aviation Administration Bryan Bedford said Wednesday that the agency planned to scale back flights by 10% in “high-volume markets” starting Friday to keep the airspace safe during the shutdown.
Those traveling in and out of Boston in the coming days should brace for disruptions as early as Friday, according to Massport.
“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,” Massport said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
United on Thursday had already proactively cut 200 flights nationwide.
In a statement, Delta vowed to give its customers advanced notice of cancellations.
“We will work to give customers as much notice as possible about any changes to their flights and apologize for any inconvenience these changes may cause,” a spokesperson for the airline told Boston 25 News.
According to FlightAware, there were 438 delays at Logan and 36 cancellations as of Thursday.
Massport said it will continue to work with its federal and airline partners to “minimize disruptions and keep passengers informed.”
Airports in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, among dozens of others, were also targeted by the flight cuts.
Air traffic controllers have been working unpaid since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Mounting staffing pressures are now forcing the agency to act, according to Bedford.
“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,” Bedford explained. “We’re in new territory in terms of government shutdowns.”
Travelers at Logan Airport who Boston 25 spoke with on Thursday called for an end to the shutdown to avoid headaches.
“People are going to feel the pain if they’re not already, but they have to figure out how to work this out just to get the country back in order. It’s going on far too long. All this fighting is just crazy, you know, I think they’re hurting the wrong people because of it,” Boston traveler Bill Thomas told Boston 25 News.
Another Boston traveler simply said, “I think it’s scary for our country.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Tuesday that there could be “chaos” in the skies if the shutdown drags on long enough for air traffic controllers to miss their second full paycheck next week.
Aviation experts predict hundreds, if not thousands, of upcoming flights could be delayed or canceled.
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