Workers, travelers at Phoenix Sky Harbor feeling the government shutdown's impact
Govt shutdown: Flight reductions affect Sky Harbor
With federal officials ordering flight reductions at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and other high traffic airports across the country, travelers and workers alike are starting to feel the impact of the ongoing federal government shutdown. FOX 10's Kenzie Beach and Brian Webb report.
PHOENIX - Phoenix Sky Harbor is on an FAA list of airports that are required to cancel 10% of their flights. While the cancellations are set to begin on Nov. 7, its impacts are already showing.
The backstory:
On Nov. 5, the FAA announced the reduction, which targets 40 markets that were described as "high volume." The reduction was prompted due to staffing shortages amid the ongoing government shutdown, which is become the longest in U.S. history.
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said the agency is not going to wait for a problem to act, saying the shutdown is causing staffing pressures and "we can’t ignore it."
By the numbers:
In a statement released on Nov. 6, officials with the U.S. Department of Transportation said there will be a four-percent reduction in operations on Nov. 7. That ramps up to six percent by Nov. 11, eight percent by Nov. 13, and 10 percent by Nov. 14.
Officials also said commercial space launches will also be limited to non-peak hours.
Big picture view:
Phoenix Sky Harbor is the only Arizona airport to have flights reduced by the FAA. There are, however, other airports in the western part of the country that are also seeing reduced flights. They include:
Northern California
- San Francisco International (SFO)
- Oakland San Francisco Bay (OAK)
Southern California
- Los Angeles International (LAX)
- Ontario International (ONT)
- San Diego International (SAN)
Colorado
- Denver International (DEN)
Nevada
- Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
Utah
- Salt Lake City International (SLC)
Why you should care:
There were over 39,000 passenger flights out of Sky Harbor in November 2024, and a 10% cut would translate to 3,900 flight cancellations, impacting over 400,000 passengers.
The cuts, should officials implement them, will also happen in the days leading up to the Thanksgiving travel period.
Local perspective:
Across the country, there were reportedly more than 1,000 delayed flights and dozens of cancellations on Nov. 6.
At Sky Harbor, there were at least 200 delays between the airport's two terminals: Terminal 3 and Terminal 4. and it is expected to get worse.
Some travelers at Sky Harbor have considered avoiding the chaos, and cancel their trips altogether.
"She was so concerned," said one traveler. "She was really thinking about canceling it. That's how afraid she was. Rightfully so."
For some travelers, however, they have trips that cannot be rescheduled. That includes Tom Meyer, who was headed to Boston to attend his daughter's wedding.
"Well, I gave myself a full day," said Meyer. "The wedding's Saturday, so I figured no matter what happens, I should get there in 36 hours. So I'm optimistic."
Those who are able to board a plane also have to face a traffic jam of sorts on the tarmac. One viewer sent us a photo that shows a line of more than 20 planes that were waiting for clearance from air traffic controllers to take off.
Dig deeper:
Besides passengers, the ongoing government shutdown is also affecting those who work at the airport.
As of Nov. 7, air traffic controllers and TSA officers will be out two full paychecks. A TSA officer at Sky Harbor said they have no choice but to come to work.
"Come to work, or you're going to face discipline," said Jovan Petkovic, who is also the Arizona TSA Union Secretary for the American Federation of Government Employees TSA Local 1250. "You shouldn't have to go get a loan to come to work. Like I'm supposed to get a paycheck so I can come to work. The question is, who's going to pay those late fees? Who's going to pay the interest on those loans?"
Others, like restaurant workers and rideshare drivers, are also feeling the impact. More than 1,000 businesses operate at Sky Harbor, employing more than 50,000 workers.
"I think they’re definitely gonna suffer," said one traveler. "I mean, customers are probably gonna be a little bit high stress as well, which is not good for these customer service-oriented [workers]. I’m worried for them too."
"People here, we all live paycheck to paycheck, and so we can’t be having days off because of the shutdown," said one shop worker at Sky Harbor, identified only as ‘Barbara.’
What's next:
With the flight reductions taking effect soon, some travelers are worried about making it back home.
"I'm a mom, and so I want to get back to my kids," said Liz Roth. "I'm scared I'm not going to be able to come back when I want to. I'm the primary caregiver. So coming back, I need to be able to take care of them."