Commercial flights hit by US shutdown as calls grow to ground private jets

United States airlines have scaled back flights as the US government shutdown, now the longest in the country’s history, continues into the weekend.

US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Friday that airlines might have to reduce flights by up to 20 percent if the shutdown continues.

This is much higher than a directive on Wednesday when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called on all airlines to reduce their schedules by 4 percent to address safety concerns amid limited staffing during the shutdown. The FAA said at the time the cuts will increase to 10 percent by next Friday if the shutdown has not ended by then.

“We’re going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace,” Duffy told reporters on Friday.

The reductions are straining travel through 40 of the country’s busiest airports, including Atlanta, Washington, Houston and Denver.

The cuts began on flights scheduled for 6am US Eastern Time (11:00 GMT) on Friday and included 700 cuts across the four largest US airlines – Delta, American, Southwest and United.

However, the FAA has provided limited guidance on how the directive applies to private and charter flights.

The FAA’s guidance states that “general aviation operations may also be reduced by up to 10 percent at High Impact Airports, including TEB [Teterboro airport in New Jersey], HOU [Houston’s Hobby airport], and DAL [Dallas Love Field]”.

But beyond that, it remains unclear which “general aviation” flights – a category that includes private jet travel – will be reduced or how it will be enforced.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) pointed Al Jazeera to a press release that said there are reductions in parachute flight operations and aerial photography flights. But it did not provide explicit guidance on business jet travel.

The DOT did not answer follow-up questions on private business travel, which accounts for one in six flights in US airspace. Meanwhile, private jet flights only contribute 2 percent in tax to a trust fund that pays for the operation and maintenance of US airspace.

Advocacy groups are calling on private jet owners to halt their flights while the system remains strained.

“Any private jet owner flying just for fun this week needs to rethink that choice. You’re taking capacity away from everyday people who need to get where they’re going. Someone might not make it to their grandmother’s bedside in time. This is not how this should work,” Erica Payne, president of Patriotic Millionaires, an advocacy group of high-net-worth individuals looking to create a more equitable economy, told Al Jazeera.

“Shift the cost [of flight cuts] to private jet owners who can ‘rough it’ in first class. It shows where the priorities really are. The transportation security could issue guidance that private jets should be grounded,” Payne added.

Charter operators are not currently facing the same restrictions as major carriers like United Airlines, Delta and American, who have had to reduce their domestic operations as long as the directive is in place.

Al Jazeera reached out to public charter carriers JSX and Aero for comment about how they are navigating the shutdown.

“Our operations are subject to and complying with the order, and customers on affected flights will be notified and accommodated, as necessary,” a spokesperson for JSX told Al Jazeera in a statement.

Aero did not reply to Al Jazeera’s request.

Delays, cancellations

Passengers on commercial flights are already feeling the pinch with ground delays in some cases well over an hour amid staffing shortages at the nation’s major airports.

FlightAware, a website which tracks cancellations and delays, showed 856 cancellations and more than 2,800 delays with flights to, from and within the US on commercial airlines on Friday.

“Air traffic controllers and TSA [Transportation Security Administration] officers are receiving yet another empty paycheck. More than 3.5 million passengers have experienced delays or cancellations because of air traffic control staffing concerns since the shutdown began,” Airlines 4 America, an airline industry trade group, said in a statement.

Earlier this week, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said 20 percent to 40 percent of controllers were not showing up for work on any given day. Thus far, as many as 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay.

On Wall Street, airline stocks have remained resilient despite ongoing strains as markets closed on Friday.

Delta Airlines shares rose 1.8 percent, United Airlines gained 1.7 percent, and Southwest Airlines climbed 2.9 percent. American Airlines was up 1.8 percent from the market open. Seattle-based Alaska Airlines surged 2.8 percent to 4.3, while New York City-based JetBlue rose 4 percent.

While the White House and President Donald Trump’s administration continue to blame Democrats – including in its automated responses to emails – the president has not limited his own travel. On Friday afternoon, he is slated to travel to Palm Beach, Florida. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Source: Aljazeera