Flight cancellations at Philadelphia International Airport have been accelerating since the Federal Aviation Administration started ordering flight cuts on Friday in response to the federal government shutdown, writes Emma Dooling and Joshua Mann for the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Friday saw 36 flights cut. Saturday had 59 cancellations. Sunday saw 81 cancellations, and Monday had 54 flights cancelled.
Most of the cancellations affected American Airlines, the airport’s largest carrier, and its subsidiaries.
FAA began with a 4 percent flight cut, but it was scheduled to increase that to 6 percent on Tuesday and 10 percent on Friday.
Private jet travel is also being impacted after the FAA on Monday barred general aviation and non-scheduled aircraft from operating at 12 major airports. Philadelphia was not on that list.
Though lawmakers worked out a deal this week to reopen the government, passing the package will take time as it moves through the Senate, the House, and to the White House for President Trump’s signature.
The FAA has not stated how the shutdown deal will impact flight restrictions.
Read more about the flight cancellations in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
Despite PHL being hit by flight cancellations and the closing of two TSA checkpoints, the lines continued to move along this past weekend, writes Michelle Myers for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
“TSA General 5-10 minutes,” read an automatic sign outside the check-in point on Terminal B around 10 a.m. Sunday.
“I came a little earlier because I keep seeing long lines … this doesn’t look too bad at all,” said traveler Salem Ahmed.
People should continue to arrive at the airport with ample time, a TSA spokesperson said.
And despite shorter TSA lines, travelers on Sunday still found themselves navigating gate changes, delays, and cancellations.
PHL spokesperson Heather Redfern said that cancellations and delays are up to each airline. She recommended travelers contact their airlines and sign up for text and email alerts.
Philly native Tabari Wright waited by his gate with 15 other travelers, but the plane never arrived. The gate had changed to the other side of the airport, but that information wasn’t updated in the app.
Wright lost his flight and was rescheduled for a Sunday morning flight that was then delayed to 1 PM.
“It’s kind of annoying, but we can’t be mad because we can’t control it, especially with people not getting paid to work,” Wright said. “I am just grateful for all their work.”
Read more about passenger experiences at PHL in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
