More than 1,200 flights canceled in the United States due to government shutdown

More than 1,200 flights were canceled this Friday in the United States after the Donald Trump administration ordered a reduction in air traffic to ease tension in an industry that is operating with insufficient staff due to budget cuts.

About forty airports were affected by the measure, including the three in New York , three that serve Washington , and those in Chicago , Los Angeles , San Francisco , Miami , Boston , Philadelphia , Atlanta and Dallas .

The partial shutdown of the federal government due to a lack of funds, which began on October 1 and this week became the longest in US history, has left thousands of air traffic controllers, airport security personnel and other workers without pay, causing staff shortages.

"We have friends coming from Europe to stay with us, who are leaving tomorrow (Saturday), and they're a little scared," Elvira Buchi, who went to pick up her daughter at LaGuardia Airport in New York, told AFP. "Reducing flights, if it's for safety, of course, but we should never have gotten to this point."

More than 1,200 flights were canceled on Friday, according to the tracking website FlightAware, which identified Chicago O'Hare , Atlanta and Denver airports as the hardest hit.

American Airlines said in a statement that it is scheduled to cancel about 220 flights per day . Delta, meanwhile, reported that it would cancel about 170 flights this Friday.

The suspensions must be implemented gradually, with an initial cut in air traffic of 4% this Friday and 10% next week, if Democratic and Republican lawmakers continue to fail to reach an agreement on the budget.

This Friday, the Senate was expected to attempt, for the fifteenth time, to pass a short-term funding measure to reopen the government, already approved by the House of Representatives. However, the vote was predicted to fail again.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy blamed Democrats for the disruptions and said they should vote to reopen the government.

"I think there are going to be a lot of problems starting this weekend, and I don't know why the government is allowing the lockdown to continue, especially when it comes to things as essential as passenger safety and comfort," wondered 78-year-old Jose Rincon at Miami airport.

Long lines

The cancellations add to the delays and long lines at security checkpoints, managed by agents who have also gone more than a month without being paid.

These measures are being implemented just as the country enters its peak travel season, with Veterans Day and Thanksgiving just around the corner.

"If you have to attend a wedding, funeral, or any other important event in the coming days, given the risk of flight cancellations, I advise you to purchase a backup ticket with another airline," Frontier director Barry Biffle suggested on social media.

For the time being, long-haul international flights were not affected, United and Delta clarified.

United indicated that the cancellations are concentrated on "domestic and regional flights that do not connect to its airport hubs."

Major US airlines announced that affected customers can change their travel plans or request a refund without penalty.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) explained on October 31 that half of the top 30 airports are experiencing staff shortages and that nearly 80% of air traffic controllers had not reported to work at New York airports.

Approximately 14,000 air traffic controllers monitor U.S. airspace. Every day, more than three million passengers board a plane in the United States.