Richmond Airport delays grow as FAA cuts flights nationwide
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.

Richmond International Airport officials say they haven't been directly impacted by the FAA's planned 10% reduction in flights across major U.S. markets.
Why it matters: Ripple effects are still reaching Central Virginia travelers, and could strand Richmond's air travelers across the country.
Catch up quick: The FAA started scaling back air traffic at 40 major airports β including Dulles and Reagan National β on Friday as staffing shortages worsen and the longest-ever U.S. shutdown drags on.
- Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimates hundreds of flights could be cut daily, affecting hundreds of thousands of people.
What they're saying: RIC officials said in a statement Thursday that essential federal employees, including air traffic controllers and TSA agents, are "on duty" and making sure operations "continue safely and efficiently."
Between the lines: While Richmond isn't on the FAA's reduction list, it has daily flights to several affected airports like Chicago, Charlotte and Newark.
- Staffing issues at other airports had already begun impacting some of Richmond's flights last month.
- And on Thursday, the day before FAA's first round of reductions started, Richmond logged 60 delays and two cancellations, per FlightAware.
- It had 85 delays and 35 cancellations on Sunday.
State of play: The major airlines have generally started telling people what might happen to their flights, some about three days in advance.
- Most are offering free refunds and penalty-free rebookings, including for many basic economy and nonrefundable fares.
- All recommend travelers check the airline's website and app for updates.
Here are the airlines reportedly most affected and their plans so far.
πΊ United:
- Refunds and rebooking options are available, even for unaffected flights.
- CEO Scott Kirby said schedule reductions will focus on regional and non-hub routes.
β οΈ Delta:
- Allowing penalty-free changes and refunds while maintaining most long-haul flights.
πΊπΈ American Airlines
- Waiving change fees for domestic travelers going through these airports between now and Nov. 15.
π΅ Southwest
- Automatically rebooking most travelers, and allowing people to rebook even 10 minutes before the flight departs.
Go deeper:

