Well, folks, buckle up. We’re in for a bumpy ride. The FAA’s gone and cut thousands of flights per day. No, this isn’t some belated April Fools’ joke. It’s real. It’s happening. And it’s starting this week, as the seedy underbelly of the shutdown rears its ugly head.
Forty major airports across the land of the free and the home of the brave are about to become a little bit less of both. We’re talking a 10% reduction in flight capacity. A measly 10%, they say. But let’s be real, that’s thousands of flights each day. Thousands of people affected. Thousands of stories like yours shoved into a blender of bureaucratic chaos.
Ever tried making sense of a smoothie? Me neither.
So where’s the squeeze? Try Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson. Or Boston Logan. How about the Big Apple’s trio of air hubs? Yes, even the Windy City’s O’Hare is on the chopping block. East, west, north, south – no cardinal direction is safe in this crosswind of cuts.
Flight reductions will start at 4% on Friday and work up to 10%. Handy, that, if you’re a math whiz. For the rest of us? It’s a raw deal no matter how you slice it.
But here’s the kicker: international flights are exempt. Yep, you heard that right. It’s the regular joes and janes, the domestic travelers, who bear the brunt of the burden. Business as usual, right?
United Airlines, bless ’em, say they’ll offer refunds. Even for non-refundable tickets. A silver lining in a cloud of uncertainty. And who knows, maybe they’ll start offering snacks again too. One can dream.
FAA’s head honchos call this ‘proactive’. They’re ‘reducing the risk profile in the national airspace’. Now that’s a phrase that could curdle milk. Simply put, they don’t want to wait for a problem to manifest. Kind of like swatting a fly with a sledgehammer, don’t you think?
At the end of the day, it’s the average flyer left holding the bag. Our bags, actually, as we shuffle around in crowded airports. The FAA’s decision, they say, is about ‘deviating pressure’. But from where I’m sitting, it looks a lot like passing the buck.
So hold onto your hats, folks. And maybe pack a lunch. Because this ride’s about to get a whole lot bumpier. Let’s just hope, when the dust settles, we’re not left grounded.