Commercial flights hit by US shutdown as calls grow to ground private jets

"This is much higher than a directive on Wednesday when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) called on all airlines to reduce their schedules by 4 percent to address safety concerns amid limited staffing during the shutdown. The FAA said at the time the cuts will increase to 10 percent by next Friday if the shutdown has not ended by then."

"However, the FAA has provided limited guidance on how the directive applies to private and charter flights. The FAA's guidance states that general aviation operations may also be reduced by up to 10 percent at High Impact Airports, including TEB [Teterboro airport in New Jersey], HOU [Houston's Hobby airport], and DAL [Dallas Love Field]. But beyond that, it remains unclear which general aviation flights a category that includes private jet travel will be reduced or how it will be enforced."

"We're going to make decisions based on what we see in the airspace, Duffy told reporters on Friday. The reductions are straining travel through 40 of the country's busiest airports, including Atlanta, Washington, Houston and Denver. The cuts began on flights scheduled for 6am US Eastern Time (11:00 GMT) on Friday and included 700 cuts across the four largest US airlines Delta, American, Southwest and United."

The prolonged US government shutdown has led airlines to scale back flights, with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warning reductions could reach 20 percent if the shutdown continues. The FAA initially directed a 4 percent schedule cut to address safety concerns from limited staffing, with a planned increase to 10 percent by next Friday if the shutdown persists. Operations are strained at 40 major airports, and four largest carriers have already seen around 700 cancellations. FAA guidance on private and charter operations is limited, noting possible 10 percent cuts at certain High Impact Airports, while DOT cited reductions in parachute and aerial photography flights and provided no clear direction on business jet travel.

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