Sky Harbor delays worsen as government shutdown enters 40th day

Flyers frustrated in third day of flight reductions at Sky Harbor

Travelers flying in and out of Sky Harbor are feeling the impacts of the recent FAA cuts amid the ongoing government shutdown. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz reports.

PHOENIX - The government shutdown has entered its 40th day, with the impacts expanding daily, especially at the nation's airports.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ordered the reduction to help combat the shortage of air traffic controllers who are going without pay due to the shutdown. 

Local perspective:

The attitude at Sky Harbor on Nov. 9 is hope for the best, but expect the worst. A fair amount of travelers whose flights have not been affected, but they were all knocking on wood.

The other side:

For other travelers, it’s been a scramble to rebook canceled flights and wait out delays. 

People are traveling for all kinds of life events, from weddings to funerals, and they’re having varying levels of success in reaching their destination on time.

By the numbers:

FlightAware said Sky Harbor is seeing around 365 delays on Sunday and 113 cancellations. 

Those are higher numbers than Saturday, where Southwest led in delays with 58, closely followed by American with 55. SkyWest travelers saw the most cancellations Saturday, with 16 canceled flights, while Southwest saw 11.

Southwest and American Airlines fliers are still feeling the most pain, with SkyWest, Delta, Frontier, and United travelers also seeing some impacts. 

What they're saying:

Things were not off to a good start for Michael Olson, who's trying to get back to Orange County, California.

"Our flight was supposed to take off at three, then it got canceled to John Wayne. So now we have to fly into Ontario," he said. "I mean, I'm optimistic that will make this, but I'm not getting my hopes up."

Sky Harbor flyer: 'I don't think its fair to the general public,' amid FAA cuts, shutdown

Sky Harbor travelers say that the flight delays and cancellations, amid the government shutdown and FAA flight reductions not fair to the public. FOX 10's Taylor Wirtz learns more, as we enter the third day of flight cuts in Phoenix.

He's not taking any chances, though. He said he also booked a rental care in case he doesn't get onto a flight.

"I just think it's getting to the point where, I mean, it's when it starts to really impact you and you start to see kind of the reasons for the delay," said Sky Harbor traveler Michael Olson. "I mean, I actually have to respect what the FAA is doing with the slow-down and just the safety from a safety perspective with the limited air traffic controllers. But I mean, it's just, I don't think [it's] fair to the general public what's going on, you know, with this negotiation in our government right now. I mean, I think there's people on both sides of the aisle that are now, you know, they have to do what's best for the public. And right now, I mean, with something as simple as just flying and getting from city to city, you know, it's making it very difficult."

Dig deeper:

Matthew Krauss has been battling flight issues all week as a prospective student host at Grand Canyon University.

"Flights have gotten delayed and canceled, which kind of been tough because, like, obviously, we want the students to get as much as they can," said Krauss, a student host for Discover GCU. "It's just unfortunate because they're only here for less than 48 hours. Having their flights delayed is definitely not the best way to go about it."

Volunteer Cheyanne Goncalez said she and her therapy pup, Roo, have been in high demand.

"I would say more than normal. People have been really particularly happy to see us," said Goncalez, a volunteer with the Sky Harbor Airport Navigator Buddies Therapy Team. "The staff, too. She seems to know that TSA needs a little extra love right now."

What's next:

With Thanksgiving just weeks away, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy isn't anticipating holiday travel being any less turbulent.

"You're going have massive disruption. I think a lot of angry Americans," said Duffy, the U.S. Transportation Secretary.

Sky Harbor is currently dealing with a 4% reduction in flights, but the FAA is bumping that up to 6% on Tuesday, Nov. 11 if the shutdown continues.