WASHINGTON: US airlines and travelers slogged through a second day of flight cuts across the country on Saturday as the government shutdown was expected to drive more cancelations in the days to come.
The Federal Aviation Administration instructed airlines to cut four percent of flights on Saturday at 40 major airports because of the shutdown. The cuts will rise to six percent on Tuesday and then to 10 percent by November 14.
The cuts, which began at 6 a.m. ET (1100 GMT) on Friday, include about 700 flights from the four largest carriers — American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
Airlines will cut fewer flights on Saturday than Friday because of lower overall volume. United will cut 168 flights, down from 184 Friday, while Southwest will cancel just under 100 flights, down from 120.
During the record 39-day government shutdown, 13,000 air traffic controllers and 50,000 security screeners have been forced to work without pay, leading to increased absenteeism. Many air traffic controllers were notified on Thursday that they would receive no compensation for a second pay period next week.
