I’m Writing From an American Airlines Flight I Thought Would Cancel — Here’s Data on What FAA Flight Cuts Look Like Today

Comments

1. Makes sense to cancel RJ flights, fewer passenger to reaccommodate but you may be at a small airport like SFE or YUM and there’s only 2-3 flights a day to a single or two hubs. Right now sitting in the AA FL at MIA. My plane just landed at and is coming from LGA and LGA is showing 15 minute departure delays. I have a connection this evening in DFW.

   Best advice, know your options. Get to the airport early, particularly if you have an airline lounge membership. Find out the path of your plane and monitor it. Be ready to jump if you need to. Don’t wait until you’re at the gate and it’s all turned to fecal matter.

2. Do you know if the duty to cancel flights into these major airports falls exclusively on US-based carriers? I would think that Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, etc, would not be in the first round of cancellations, but I’m not sure.

3. They should cancel all flights from DCA and IAD to NYC and ORD. Make em drive!

4. Gary, thank you for the consolidated list.

   I think it’s important to remember that Bryan Bedford is running the FAA and he knows extremely well how the airlines work. Gary has an outstanding point – 70 days with more disruption in the year already. This exercise, with advance notice and benefit of planning I think in reality makes for a very good media doomsday piece without, in reality, really inconveniencing that many people and in a way making remaining operations more stable with crews (already being paid this close in) available for reassignment where contracts allow, hot spares, etc.

   Loads probably fairly light anyway. Heck, I was supposed to travel today through Monday on 7 UA/AA flights (and an AA bus) but am not feeling well so postponing anyway, but except for a EWR-ORD on UA, my upgrades cleared at the window on everything. Not that I cared as I had an exit row to myself on most flights anyway.

   CNN is set up a DCA showing the “floods of people dealing with widespread cancelations.” If you look at the data, that just isn’t happening. The pain is spread pretty evenly. This is maximum chest thumping and hand wringing over minimal actual customer impact, in my view.

5. International flights operating by US carriers and foreign carriers are exempt although international flights could be cancelled anyway for other reasons

   The DOJ is providing antitrust immunity so that US airlines can discuss which flights to cancel.

6. We checked in for our flight tomorrow PBI-ATL-RDU. DL says in a banner on the check-in page that it has cancelled the necessary flights for both Friday and Saturday, and informed passengers.

   @Raphael Solomon: FAA says international flights (both domestically and foreign operated) are exempt – for now.

7. None of this is necessary. It’s all a manufactured crisis because Republicans have so far chosen to hold the country hostage by not earning Senate Democrats votes on a bi-partisan budget. They could end this today. Safe travels.

8. Thanks for sharing the detailed data Gary

9. Thanks for the list, Gary — I was just searching for a consolidated one to see if there was a pattern. Reddit map is helpful too.

   Good luck @George Romey @NedsKid (and feel better) @Retired Lawyer etc. You too @1990 if you haven’t reached your final destination. I have 5 flights scheduled next week, let’s see how it goes!

   @Tim Dunn — very interesting tidbit on the antitrust immunity.

   Safe travels everyone