Denver Airport Hit by FAA Flight Reductions

The Federal Aviation Administration will reduce flight capacity by up to 10 percent at forty major airports due to the ongoing government shutdown and a shortage of FAA staffers, according to an emergency order from the FAA and the Department of Transportation.

The restrictions are already starting this morning, November 7, with hundreds of flights cancelled as the FAA begins with a 4 percent reduction, ramping up to 6 percent by November 11, and then the full 10 percent by November 14.

“We are seeing signs of stress in the system, so we are proactively reducing the number of flights to make sure the American people continue to fly safely,” says FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford in an announcement of the cancellations. “The FAA will continue to closely monitor operations, and we will not hesitate to take further action to make sure air travel remains safe.”   

Denver International Airport is among the forty airports affected by the flight restrictions.

“We advise passengers to check with their airlines for the latest information pertaining to delays or cancellations,” says a spokesperson for the Denver airport, which is the third-busiest in the country, and touted as the sixth-busiest in the world. (For the latest from the airport management, see flydenver.com.)

United’s Denver hub

According to United Airlines, its long-haul international flights and hub-to-hub flights will not be impacted by the cuts. Denver International Airport is a United hub, so flights between Denver and other hub airports — Chicago O’Hare International, Guam Antonio B. Won Pat International, Houston/George Bush Intercontinental, Los Angeles International, Newark Liberty International, San Francisco International and Washington Dulles International — should be safe.

Early on November 6, United texted a passenger scheduled to fly into Denver that day hat no flight changes are anticipated in the immediate future, but also offered a rebooking option.

Frontier, Delta and other airlines

On the other hand, Denver-based Frontier Airlines is encouraging travelers to book backup flights with other airlines.

“If you are headed to a wedding, funeral or something you must be somewhere for in the next few days – given the risk of flights cancelling, I would suggest passengers buy a backup ticket on another carrier that departs after the first ticket,” Frontier CEO Barry Biffle wrote on LinkedIn on November 5. “Carriers like Frontier will be putting you on the next available flight but that may not be until after your event due to the scale of this disruption.”

In a statement to media outlets, Delta Airlines said the “vast majority” of its flights should proceed as scheduled, including all long-haul international flights. Customers with impacted flights will be allowed to change or cancel their bookings without penalty, even those who booked non-refundable basic economy.

Southwest Airlines and American Airlines have also said they expect most flights to continue without issue, but are still evaluating the impacts of the restrictions on their flight schedules.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy described the flight reductions as a “proactive” measure to address mounting pressure facing airports during the government shutdown.

Air traffic controllers and Transportation Security Administration screeners are required to work during the shutdown, but they have missed paychecks since it began on October 1, leading to call-outs and staffing shortages.

This is the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, reaching 37 days on November 6.

The mayor’s view

DIA is a major economic driver for Colorado, generating $47.2 billion last year, which helps explain why the airport volunteered to cover the salaries of on-furlough FAA workers. After all, this is the third-busiest airport in the country, and the sixth-busiest in the world. But so far, there’s been no response from the feds. In the meantime, Denver Mayor Mike Johnston offers this:

“President Trump’s shutdown has forced federal employees to work without pay and left 100,000 Denverites without access to food. Now his dysfunction is threatening to cancel flights for millions of Americans and kneecap our state’s largest economic engine. I fully support the airport’s efforts to pay air traffic controllers, and I urge the Trump Administration to stop playing politics, lift these restrictions, and keep our flights running smoothly, safely, and at full strength.”

Affected airports

Here is the full list of airports expected to be affected by the flight reductions:

1. Anchorage International
2. Boston Logan International
3. Baltimore/Washington International
4. Charlotte Douglas International
5. Chicago Midway
6. Chicago O’Hare International
7. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International
8. Dallas Love
9. Denver International
10. Dallas/Fort Worth International
11. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County
12. Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International
13. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
14. Honolulu International
15. Houston Hobby
16. George Bush Houston Intercontinental
17. Indianapolis International
18. Las Vegas McCarran International
19. Los Angeles International
20. Louisville International
21. Memphis International
22. Miami International
23. Minneapolis/St. Paul International
24. New York John F. Kennedy International
25. New York LaGuardia
26. Newark Liberty International
27. Orlando International
28. Oakland International
29. Ontario International
30. Portland International
31. Philadelphia International
32. Phoenix Sky Harbor International
33. Ronald Reagan Washington National
34. San Diego International
35. San Francisco International
36. Salt Lake City International
37. Seattle/Tacoma International
38. Tampa International
39. Teterboro
40. Washington Dulles International