Uncertainty continues Sunday at airports in San Diego as well as nationwide, as flight delays and cancellations imposed by the Trump administration continue.
As of 7 a.m. Sunday, 21 flights had been delayed at San Diego International Airport and another 50 had been canceled, according to FlightAware, which said that nationally, at least 12,063 flights have delayed and 1,695 canceled.
San Diego International Airport is the third busiest airfield in California and 25th busiest in the nation.
Los Angeles and Ontario are also among those affected by the capacity cuts, but airfields not among the 40 on the list could still see ripple effects on flight operations.
Some air-traffic controllers have been skipping work, as they are not being paid during the ongoing shutdown.
Controllers are considered essential workers and have been instructed to continue working despite that. But after going without paychecks for nearly a month, some have taken second jobs or are calling in sick, compounding existing staffing shortages, National Air Traffic Controllers Association officials said.
Federal transportation officials said this has led to “staffing triggers” at air traffic facilities nationally, leading to “strain on the system.”
To mitigate the shortages and avoid safety issues, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that capacity would be reduced at 40 high-volume airports through at least Friday.
According to a DOT statement issued Thursday night, flight capacity at the affected airports would be cut by 4% through Monday, 6% on Tuesday, 8% Thursday and 10% by next Friday.
In addition to capacity reductions, the Federal Aviation Administration is also limiting commercial space launches and re-entries to the hours of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. local time. Parachute operations and photo missions near affected airports were also being prohibited.
“My department has many responsibilities, but our number one job is safety,” Duffy said on Thursday night, claiming that airports remain safe.
“It’s safe to fly today, and it will continue to be safe to fly next week because of the proactive actions we are taking.”
Airlines have been issuing alerts to passengers.
United Airlines posted a message on its website stating, “We’re making updates to our schedule and will let you know if your flight is affected as soon as possible, but anyone flying between Nov. 6 and 13 can request a refund or reschedule for free.”
Southwest Airlines posted a notice saying “the vast majority” of its customers will not be affected, but said anyone with flights booked through Wednesday can adjust their travel plans at no cost, “or receive a refund if they choose not to travel, regardless of whether their flight is affected.”
“We will communicate directly with affected customers as soon as possible,” Southwest added.
Delta Air Lines also advised customers of flight reductions, and provided guidance for travelers about how they can change or cancel their flights without any financial penalties.
Frontier Airlines said that it expects most of its flights to operate as planned, but it will communicate with passengers whose travel plans may be impacted by the cuts.
“Customers whose flights are canceled or delayed for more than three hours (domestic flights) or six hours (international flights) are able to rebook or to request a refund,” the airline said.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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