ORLANDO, Fla. — The effects of the government shutdown were on full display at Orlando International Airport (OIA) on Friday, as most arriving flights were pushed back, while others never took off.
As of dinnertime, the airport listed 29 cancellations and more than 200 delays. The average flight was 20 to 30 minutes late, a snowball effect as air traffic stacked up.
Friday was the first day of the FAA’s air traffic control restrictions, in which 4% of all flights at the airport had to be canceled. All but one of the cancellations was announced before Friday or early in the morning. Thirty cancellations were already listed for Saturday.
“I was supposed to fly out tomorrow, but with all the chaos going on, I wanted to get out sooner,” Julie Williams said, as she made her way toward her Arkansas-bound flight.
Williams’ airline did not charge her a change fee for rescheduling her return trip.
Some people weren’t as lucky. Crystal Whitaker’s trip back from California took a full day after her plane was delayed again and again.
Whitaker’s airline supplied her with a meal ticket and a hotel voucher when she was forced to spend the night in Dallas. She joyously reunited with her belongings after stepping off her plane Friday afternoon.
“I can’t wait to take a shower,” Whitaker laughed. “I’m happy to be home.”
The FAA’s restrictions are scheduled to tighten on Tuesday when 6% of flights at OIA must be canceled. By Friday, 10% of flights will be grounded.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned that he could increase the restrictions to 20% if air traffic controllers continued to call out of work, as he continued to apply pressure on lawmakers to end the shutdown.
Passengers reported having already received cancellation notices extending into the following weekend. Some said they’d drive to their destination, while others said they were forced to take an extra day off work.
Passengers whose flights are canceled are advised to contact their airline directly to rebook or request a refund.
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