SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego International Airport could see approximately 60 fewer daily flights as the FAA implements a 10% reduction at 40 airports nationwide due to the government shutdown.
Airport officials say so far in November, they're seeing about 600 flights daily, with 300 departing and 300 arriving. This could mean the cuts will eliminate roughly 60 flights per day, the cuts ramping up starting Friday.
Travelers at the airport on Thursday said they felt confident about their departing flights but expressed concern about return trips. Flight boards showed delays for both arriving and departing flights, though no major cancellations were reported.
"My trip has a lot of moving parts, so I'm just wondering the chances are probably a little bit higher that I'm going to have some kind of complication," one traveler said.
Many passengers were already preparing backup plans for potential disruptions.
"Trying to figure out how to keep the car because you're going to return a car and then you're going to need to get a hotel and then a new flight and just all the stress that's involved with that," another traveler said.
One passenger said they brought their work computer in case they needed to extend their stay, while another made sure their dog sitter knew the trip could run longer than planned.
Commercial pilot Robert Katz says he thinks the flight reductions will actually make skies safer by reducing air traffic, though travelers will face impacts and delays. Katz says even if the shutdown ends, the travel bottleneck will take days to return to normal.
"Aircrafts are out of position, crews are out of position, it takes time for things to get back to normal schedule," Robert Katz said.
Despite travel concerns, many passengers expressed empathy for others affected by the government shutdown.
"We're traveling, we're going to a hockey tournament, but this is impacting so many other things, like people who need food and just day-to-day needs being met," one traveler said.
"We're making a choice to do this trip. We don't have to do this trip, so we accept what will happen and we appreciate the people that aren't getting paid that are here to help us make this happen," another said.
The airport is asking travelers for patience during the flight reductions and recommends checking flight status before traveling and arriving at least two hours before departure.
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